(Click "Battlescape" to watch a Macromedia Flash recreation of the events that unfolded during SFC Smith's selfless act of courage)
Al-Zarqawi eluded raid but left clues, source says
By Richard Engel
NBC News correspondent
Updated: 8:05 a.m. ET April 26, 2005BAGHDAD, Iraq - American special forces were tracking Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of Al-Qaida in Iraq, near the town of Ramadi two months ago, but the Jordanian-born terrorist leader escaped by jumping out of a moving vehicle, a senior U.S. military source tells NBC News.
Al-Zarqawi did, however, leave behind several key pieces of intelligence, the source said, the most important of which was his laptop computer.
Photos of suspected insurgents released by the military last month were taken from the "My Pictures" folder of that laptop, the source said. It was also full of telephone numbers.
Also left behind in the car was a bag with about $100,000 in euro currency. Another bag contained mini, plugin harddrives, the source said, and evidently al-Zarqawi was using these to distribute information to his network in Iraq.
|
Ousted Ecuador President Flies to Brazil By MONTE HAYES, Associated Press Writer QUITO, Ecuador - Ousted Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez flew to political asylum in Brazil on Sunday, four days after he was toppled by massive street protests and sought refuge from angry demonstrators in the Brazilian ambassador's residence. [...] Gutierrez's enemies say he should be tried for abuse of power, corruption and the violent repression of protests that prompted Wednesday's congressional vote to remove him from office. His supporters say he was removed from power illegally, and the Organization of American States has asked Ecuador's new government to explain how Congress justified its decision to remove him for "abandonment of the post" when he was still in the Government Palace issuing orders. Congress justified dismissing Gutierrez under a constitutional clause allowing lawmakers to remove a president for "abandonment of the post," even though he was still in the Government Palace issuing orders. Backers of the measure argued that since Gutierrez had not faithfully carried out his responsibilities, Congress should declare the presidency vacant.That's the problem. Congress can just "declare" the presidency vacant and that he did not "fulfill his duties" rather than following their accusations with a judicial process which investigates these claims (Monicagate in the U.S., anyone?). It's no surprise Ecuador has had 3 presidents run out of office since 1997.
In a resolution Friday, the OAS avoided explicit recognition of the government of President Alfredo Palacio, who was sworn in by Congress after Gutierrez was removed. It was not known when the OAS delegation would arrive. So far, no country has recognized the new government as legitimate.Again, no surprises here. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 4/23/2005 02:18:00 PM TITLE: Análisis de un lector ecuatoriano ----- BODY: Luis Gomez of NarcoNews has posted, "Analysis from an Ecuadoran Reader," (Fabián Avila) Enter the NarcoSphere to read his native perspective. (Lo siento gringos, lo es en Espanol) Okay okay, "sorry gringos, it's in Spanish" -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 4/23/2005 01:58:00 PM TITLE: Minister of Defense: "Ecuador requires no recognition from the international community..." ----- BODY: Again, from La Hora:
QUITO--"The new government of Ecuador requires no recognition from the international community because it is complying with a disposition of the Constitution for presidential succession," expressed the National Minister of Defense, General(R)Solón Espinosa, Friday. "There has been no recognition for a simple reason, because the present government is complying with a disposition that is evident in the Constitution of the Republic", he affirmed. Espinosa added that the constitution, "says that when the president abandons the presidency of the Republic, the vice president will assume the functions by the time he leaves." - AFPMeanwhile, Gutiérrez also said via phone to his supporters, that Congress dismissed him "in an unconstitutional way, with 60 votes, without political judgment and without his having abandoned the charge (of the president)." -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 4/23/2005 01:30:00 PM TITLE: Gutiérrez: "I have not abandoned power." ----- BODY: Roughly translated from the article printed in La Hora.
"I continue being the President of Ecuador. I am with a clear conscience that I have done these things with honesty, because the same old politicians, the Ecuadorian oligarchy do not want the Courts to be depoliticized. I am not a thief, on the contrary, I charged the debt to the debtors, the delinquents. [sic] (--ed. unable to translate)." indicated Gutiérrez, via telephone to LA HORA MANABITA. Gutiérrez admitted that by being isolated he cannot formulate statements to the press; nevertheless, he maintained a dialogue with members of Patriotic Society. "The oligarchy does not want an honest President, a President of the people, to continue in the Presidency", he said and demanded the members of his party be solidly united.If you can read Spanish, continue reading the rest of the article at La Hora. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 4/22/2005 08:24:00 PM TITLE: OAS to send group of people on mission to Ecuador, or something. ----- BODY: From the OAS press release following the convening of the Permanent Council earlier this afternoon:
The Organization of American States (OAS) today decided to send a high-level mission to Ecuador “to work with officials of that country and with all sectors of Ecuadorian society in their effort to strengthen democracy.” The decision to send the mission was made in accordance with Article 18 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and in keeping with an invitation issued today by a delegation of Ecuador during a special session of the Permanent Council. The resolution adopted by consensus also refers to the OAS Charter, noting that one of the Organization’s essential purposes is “to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention." [sic] ... The delegation of Ecuador came to the OAS today “to demand its solidarity” with the Ecuadorian people and government.I guess "nonintervention" can be translated into "not sending in blue helments like the U.N." but rather provide Democratic cheerleaders to encourage a return to stability of the democratic process. P.S. How the heck do you "demand solidarity"??? Solidarity is such a commie word. You can read the OAS draft resolution on the Ecuadoran crisis here. It's a cute testament to the hope that graduates with degrees in "international relations" have a future in joining organizations who have no power to enforce their friendly little "resolutions" while people riot and loot in the streets. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 4/22/2005 12:00:00 PM TITLE: Ecuador Crisis Coverage: Russian Intermission Report ----- BODY: From Ecuador's La Hora newspaper:
Moscú expresa preocupación por crisis política en Ecuador Moscú--El Ministerio ruso de Asuntos Exteriores expresó hoy, viernes, su "preocupación" por la crisis política en Ecuador y se pronunció a favor de una solución en el marco de la Constitución y el orden en ese país andino. "Moscú sigue con atención el desarrollo de la situación política en Ecuador que se ha agudizado los últimos días", dice la nota del ministerio difundida a la prensa. Según el Ministerio ruso, la crisis en Ecuador es grave por las manifestaciones masivas en la capital y otras ciudades del país que llevaron a la destitución de Lucio Gutiérrez como presidente y su reemplazo al frente de la jefatura del Estado por el vicepresidente Alfredo Palacio. "Expresamos nuestra confianza en que la sociedad ecuatoriana podrá salir de la crisis, evitará la violencia y logrará un compromiso en aras de la estabilización y el desarrollo democrático del país", añade la nota. EFEI don't feel like translating this morning, so here is the Freetranslation.com rough translation (with a few obvious errors fixed).
The Russian Department of Exterior Matters expressed today, Friday, its "worry" by the political crisis in Ecuador and was pronounced in favor of a solution in the framework of the Constitution and the order in that Andean country. "Moscow continues its attention on the development of the political situation in Ecuador that has been intensified in the last days", the note of the department diffused to the press says. According to the Russian Department, the crisis in Ecuador is serious by the massive demonstrations in the capital and other cities of the country that carried to the dismissal of Gutiérrez as the president and his replacement by the vice president Alfredo Palacio. "We express our confidence in which the Ecuadorian society will be able to leave the crisis, will avoid the violence and will achieve a commitment for the sake of the stabilization and the democratic development of the country", adds the note.My question is, why the heck does Russia give a flying monkey dookie about Ecuador's troubles? I can't locate the article I read on the newswires yesterday, but after SOS Rice returned from her visit to Moscow, there was talk about Russia's new "soft approach" to politics...something about a "department of cultural relations" to "peacefully" and gently deal with Russia's neighbors. Last time I checked, Ecuador was not a neighbor...unless Putin is stuck in his old Commie Mode and thinks Cuba is still their Caribbean missile silo. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 4/22/2005 11:18:00 AM TITLE: Historical Apologism: Case #4,539 ----- BODY:
(AP) - Japan's prime minister apologized Friday for his country's World War II aggression in Asia in a bid to defuse tensions with regional rival China, but a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the apology needed to be backed up with action after Japanese lawmakers made a controversial visit to a war shrine. Just hours before Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologized, a Cabinet minister and more than 80 Japanese lawmakers visited a Tokyo shrine to Japan's war dead. China's Foreign Ministry expressed "strong dissatisfaction over the negative actions of some Japanese politicians" in visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, which also honor's Japan's executed war criminals. |
A few minutes ago, in a private session with the majority of the Ecuadorian congressmen and congresswomen in attendance, has named Alfredo Palacio as the new president of Ecuador. According to reports on Radio Sucre, congresswoman Cinthya Viteri, president of the Congress, swore in Palacio. The former vice president said in his first speech that the people of Ecuador, particularly the people of Quito, decided to end the dictatorship, immorality, arrogance, terror, and fear. A few moments ago, military sources confirmed that Lucio Gutiérrez has abandoned the Carondelet Palace accompanied by his wife and a few aides. The only information known at the moment is that he has requested political asylum at the Panamanian embassy***UPDATE***
According to Venezuelas Globovision, Lucio Gutiérrez is indeed in the Brazilian embassy, where he has requested political asylum in that country. He seems to have arrived there by helicopter after protesters prevented him from leaving the coutnry by airplane. Protesters hope to prevent him from leaving the country, in order to bring charges against him in Ecuadorian courts. It is still difficult to know quite what is happening in the wake of Gutiérrez abandoning the presidency. Voices on Radio La Luna, one of the main forces behind the movement in Quito, report rumors that members of the military high command, who earlier had declared their support for Gutiérrez despite the obvious popular rejection of his rule, have decided not to recognizes Palacio as the legitimate president of Ecuador. It is not clear where Palacio is at the moment, and for some time now he has not appeared at the presidential palace, Carondelet, or made any statement. Callers from the streets have also reported pro-Gutiérrez agents trying to provoke violence in the streets. All this has led some to wonder if the military is preparing a coup detat against the man who legally took the presidency today with the backing of Congress. Hopefully, Palacios whereabouts will be known soon and nasty rumors of a military coup can be written off as just that.***UPDATE***
The headline at the website for the Brazilian daily O Globo reads: Brasil dá asilo ao presidente do Equador ("Brazil gives asylum to president of Ecuador.") (The articles can't be accessed without a subscription.) This is somewhat surprising Venezuela had already denied Gutiérrez asylum, and he was expected to try to head to Panama. He is now hiding out in the Brazilian embassy, with Ecuadorian police under orders to arrest him on sight. The coup scenario described above seems to have been, as hoped, merely rumor. As I listen to Radio La Luna, whoever is speaking now just closed an emotional commentary saying: Last night, we slept under a dictatorship. This morning, we woke up to a dictatorship. But tonight we can sleep in peace. The new president, Alfredo Palacio, has already suggested the possibility of holding a new constitutional assembly, in response to popular demands for creating a new country. The Organization of American States will hold a special meeting tomorrow to discuss the crisis in Ecuador.Enter the Narcosphere... for the Ecuadorian crisis coverage you sure won't find in the MSM...
On Thursday, the Organization of American States gave Ecuador a 24-hour deadline to explain how Congress justified dismissing Gutierrez under a constitutional clause allowing legislators to remove a president for "abandonment of the post" while he was still in the Government Palace issuing orders. (AP)¡Ten cuidado, Ecuador! ¡La mala OAS espantosa y grande le atacará! (Translation of "eh" Spanish: "Watch out, Ecuador! The big bad scary OAS will get you!") Somewhat amusingly, Ecuador's legislature outted President Abdala Bucaram for "mental incapacity" in 1997.
Permanent Representative of Ecuador, Jaime Barberis, described the recent events in his country and said that the situation in the last hours is by no means a case of “an alteration of constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order.” Barberis added that “it is, on the contrary, a case of presidential succession within the framework established in the political constitution and other laws of the Republic.”-------- AUTHOR: DATE: 4/21/2005 03:58:00 PM TITLE: Rather's Freight Train of Reality ----- BODY: Arizona Republic editor Phil Boas:
Here’s what newspaper editors and writers should know about this new Internet phenomenon. Bloggers don’t have much respect for you. You are the “legacy media,” the MSM.
You’re the Roman Catholic Church to their Martin Luther and his new high-speed cable modem. |
Ecuador President Dissolves Supreme Court
By MONTE HAYES, Associated Press Writer
QUITO, Ecuador - President Lucio Gutierrez declared a state of emergency in the capital city of this Andean nation and dissolved the Supreme Court, saying the unpopular judges were the cause of three days of pot-banging street protests in Quito. |
12.04.05 | France | Karl von Wogau, Chairman of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence, today urged the EU's plenary session gathered in Strasbourg to ascertain whether or not the sale of weapons by Spain to Venezuela violates the Code of Conduct on Arms Exports of the European Union. During the opening of the plenary session of the European Parliament at its seat in the French city, the German member of the EU parliament warned that the exportation of arms to Venezuela may very well go against the Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, agreed to by countries of the EU and in force since 1998.
Von Wogau urged the president of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, a Spanish member of the EUP, to “verify to what extent these actions infringe upon the resolutions” of the code in question, so reported AFP.
According to the German member of the parliament, the contract may very well violate the fourth point of the aforementioned code, which establishes that member States are to refrain from exporting arms to third countries if it entails a threat against the peace, security and stability of the region.
During his address, von Wogau also raised the question as to whether the aforementioned sale is in compliance with the “Principle of Prudence” to which the European Union and its member States must adhere anytime they export arms to third countries.
Last Wednesday, US Secretary of Defence Ronald Rumsfeld openly criticised Spain for the sale of weapons to Venezuela, affirming that it had been an “error” on the part of the Spanish government.
|
Spain sold €540.000 worth of chemical warfare agents to Venezuela
07.04.05 | During the first semester of 2004 Spain sold chemical warfare agents and radioactive materials to Venezuela worth €539.603 according to a report entitled "Spanish exports of defence materials and related products and technologies". The report, produced by Spain's Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, was revealed to Europe Press. Venezuela appeared as the twelfth buyer of such defence material to Spain for the period that saw José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero winning the vote over Partido Popular.
Chemical Warfare
Report's statistics show that Venezuela was the only country under the category "countries to which chemical warfare agents and radioactive materials were sold". Worth noting that the said category includes "biological and nerve agents destined to chemical warfare" of which Venezuela bought €30.374.
Another €509.229 consisted of "paramilitary and security material" which encompasses "firearms or gas weapons, bombs, grenades, explosives, armoured and all terrain vehicles, water canons, telescopic sights and night vision devices, etc."
Double Use
Venezuela was the third buyer of "double use products" (civil and military) accounting for 11.5% of Spain's exports.
The government of Venezuela spent €1.613.742 in "substances for the petrochemical and tanning industries".
Translated by Aleksander Boyd |
Sergeant Jennings received a wound in the left knee when the patrol was ambushed by rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. Despite his wound, he continued to provide aid to the mortally wounded patrol leader and the radio operator. After providing first aid and calling for a medical evacuation, he continued to engage and eliminated two enemy with precision fire from an overwatch position. Despite the shrapnel wound to his knee, he completed a foot movement to a distant intersection where the patrol was again ambushed by small arms fire. He provided fire in support of the patrol and fatally wounded another insurgent with his sniper rifle. During a lull in the fighting, he removed the shrapnel from his knee with his knife and ignored medical attention in order to support the patrol. On 17 November, he fought between posts at the Al Anbar Provincial Government Center helping thwart an attack by the enemy, firing 200 rounds from a squad automatic weapon over the government center wall to cover a blind spot being exploited by insurgents.
|
4 Iraqi kids, collecting trash, killed by bomb
(AP)
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Four children collecting trash were killed Friday by a homemade bomb in Baghdad, and masked gunmen killed an Iraqi Army officer in a restaurant in the southern city of Basra, police said.
The children died in the New Baghdad neighborhood in the southeast section of the city, police Capt. Sabah Hamid Al-Fartosi said. Insurgents frequently use hidden roadside bombs against U.S. and Iraqi Army convoys. |
Volunteers to Patrol Arizona-Mexico Border
By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press
TOMBSTONE, Ariz. - About 450 volunteers gathered Friday for a monthlong effort to patrol the Mexican border for illegal immigrants and smugglers, an organizer of the project said.
The idea, according to organizers of the Minuteman Project, is for the volunteers to fan out across 23 miles of the San Pedro Valley to watch the border and report any illegal activity to federal agents — an exercise some law enforcement authorities and others fear could lead to vigilante violence.
Many volunteers were recruited over the Internet and some plan to be armed. Patrols are to begin Monday.
Chris Simcox, Minuteman field operations director, said 450 people were willing to participate in at least one shift in the desert. He wouldn't say how many had registered or had participated in orientation. Others would arrive later in the month, he said.
Jim Gilchrist, a retired accountant from California who organized the project, said earlier at least 100 volunteers had registered.
There was no immediate way to independently verify the count, and it was difficult to distinguish volunteers from counter-protesters, tourists and the merely curious in this town nearly 30 miles north of the Mexican border — best known as the site of the 1881 shootout at the OK Corral.
Gilchrist said the government has said for decades it's responsible for, and will deal with illegal immigration. "We are no longer in the request mode, the suggest mode, or the recommendation mode," Gilchrist said. "We are in the demand mode."
During orientation, volunteers heard speakers supporting the project, including Bay Buchanan, chairwoman of the conservative American Cause organization and sister of former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan.
"You have accomplished an enormous amount already," she said, noting the effort had drawn the attention of Mexican President Vicente Fox, who has vowed to take legal action against migrant-hunting vigilantes in Arizona.
Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, a supporter of tougher border enforcement, praised the group, telling them: "You are not vigilantes, you are heroes in my book." [--ed. I second that, Congressman.]
The Arizona-Mexico border is considered the most vulnerable stretch of the 2,000-mile southern border. Of the 1.1 million illegal immigrants caught by the Border Patrol last year, 51 percent crossed into the country at the Arizona border.
In Mexico City, authorities Friday said about 70 officials will keep tabs on the project to determine whether migrants are abused.
"We want (migrants) to know we'll be on alert to make sure their human rights are not violated," said Arturo Salinas, Mexico's assistant interior secretary.
Human rights activists expressed concern the volunteers may abuse immigrants or get into violent confrontations with smugglers.
"The newspapers and the TV cameras are hoping something will go wrong and somebody will get hurt or somebody will do something stupid and that will draw attention," said Robert Ordway from nearby Sierra Vista.
"That ain't going to happen. We're not here to do that. We are here to support the Border Patrol, support the laws of the country and that's what we're after." |
At Least 20 U.S. Troops Hurt in Mass Iraq Jail Attack
By Luke Baker
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Dozens of insurgents mounted a sustained attack on Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad on Saturday, detonating two suicide car bombs and firing rocket- propelled grenades before U.S. troops repelled the assault.
At least 20 U.S. soldiers and 12 detainees were wounded in the carefully planned attack, which began at around 1500 GMT and lasted for around an hour, the U.S. military said.
"A group of between 40 and 60 insurgents attacked the U.S. forward operating base at Abu Ghraib," Lieutenant Colonel Guy Rudisill, spokesman for detainee affairs, told Reuters.
"They detonated two VBIEDs (suicide car bombs) and also fired rocket-propelled grenades into the prison camp ... it was a sustained attack," he said. Mortars and small arms fire were also directed toward the prison, on Baghdad's western edge.
"The attacks were intermittent. They would fire RPGs and then stop, then they would attack again," Rudisill said.
U.S. forces responded with heavy weapons, eventually bringing the situation under control. It was not known how many insurgents were wounded or killed in the battle. |
U.S. Army Iraq Veteran Guilty of Refusing Orders
By Andy Buerger Reuters
DARMSTADT, Germany (Reuters) - A U.S. military court convicted a 23-year-old Army mechanic of willfully disobeying orders for refusing to perform duties after a year-long tour of Iraq, an army spokesman said Monday.
Specialist Blake Lemoine, who returned to Germany in May 2004, said he wanted to quit the army due to religious beliefs.
The special military court sentenced Lemoine to seven months confinement, reduction in rank to private and gave him a bad conduct discharge, said Bruce Anderson, deputy public affairs spokesman for the 3rd Corps support command.
Lemoine, who had condemned the invasion of Iraq, was charged for repeatedly refusing to obey orders from commanders between Jan. 10 and Feb. 15 at a base in Darmstadt, south of Frankfurt.
Lemoine, from Moraville, Louisiana, told a recent news conference in Germany sponsored by anti-war groups that even though he volunteered to join the army, he had changed his mind and wanted to leave.
"It was simply a slow realisation that serving in the U.S. military at this day and time contradicts my religion and to continue to do so would make me a hypocrite," he said last week.
Lemoine had also been quoted in German newspapers as saying: "The contract with the U.S. army is a slavery contract." He also spoke out against U.S. army violence against Iraqis, saying: "Iraqi civilians are often treated worse than animals."
Lemoine joined the army for three years, a term which would have ended on Feb. 13, but extended his enlistment at some point for a further eight-month period.
|
Chocolate Crosses Move Into Mainstream
By MATT SEDENSKY, AP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A symbol of Christianity that sits atop church steeples, dangles from necks and hangs on walls is now ending up in the mouths of the faithful, over the objections of some religious officials.
A mass-produced chocolate cross is being sold this Easter by Russell Stover Candies Inc. in about 5,000 stores nationwide, which experts say is apparently a first for a major American company.
"Obviously they've seen that there's a market for chocolate crosses at Easter," said Lisbeth Echeandia, a consultant for Candy Information Service, which monitors candy industry trends. "I don't see it growing tremendously but I think there would be growth in the Christian market."
However, not all Christians are happy about it. Chomping on a chocolate cross can be offensive to some, said Joseph McAleer, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic diocese in Bridgeport, Conn.
"The cross should be venerated, not eaten, nor tossed casually in an Easter basket beside the jelly beans and marshmallow Peeps," he said. "It's insulting."
Nonetheless, Kansas City-based Russell Stover, the third-largest American chocolate manufacturer, said it is targeting some of the most devout Christians — Hispanic Americans.
Pangburn, which Russell Stover bought in 1999, has long had a hold in that market. The milk chocolate cross is about 6 inches high, adorned with a floral bouquet and filled with caramel made of goat's milk, popular in Mexico and Latin America. Its packaging features Spanish more prominently than English.
Russell Stover President Tom Ward doesn't expect the chocolate cross to overtake the chocolate bunny, but he does expect it to bring in new customers who "wouldn't buy rabbits."
"I think it's a market that's potentially overlooked," said chocolate expert Clay Gordon, who runs the chocolate Web site Chocophile.com.
Ward said Russell Stover considered making other traditional images out of chocolate but eventually opted not to.
"A molded Jesus, for example, would not be a good call and a cross with Jesus on it wouldn't be a good idea either," Ward said. |
"...We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses; that God wants; that God demands of us."Psalm 116:15 "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." (Click to learn more) -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 3/24/2005 12:39:40 AM TITLE: Nevermind the Word of God... ----- BODY:
(AP) Being a practicing homosexual is no bar to becoming a priest, the Scottish Episcopal Church says, a stance that puts it at odds with the Anglican Communion in other parts of the world.
[...]
The Scottish bishops expressed regret at the decision to request the withdrawal of U.S. and Canadian Churches from the ACC.
"We are conscious that as a church we are much indebted in our life both to a significant presence of persons of homosexual orientation, and also those whose theology and stance would be critical of attitudes to sexuality other than abstinence outside marriage."
"We rejoice in both," the bishops' response said. |
"I hope we're not ... making this human tragedy a political issue," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told ABC's "This Week." "We've got plenty of other issues that are political in nature for us to fight about."
"Mexico has been very responsible in security matters," he said, noting that his government had invested heavily in poor areas, hoping that more job opportunities at home would reduce the number of Mexicans going illegally to the United States to find work. |
"Arab nations have taken serious steps on the road of reform, but the road is still long and we have to go ahead confidently, out of conviction that reform is an uninterrupted process derived from the nation's will and not demanded from others," Mubarak said, opening the three-day gathering. |
MOSCOW (AFP) - Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, one of Russia's most wanted men, has been killed in Chechnya, according to Russian news agencies who quoted Russian federal forces in the northern Caucasus.
[...]
Maskhadov has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against Russian forces in the region and has been blamed by Russia for involvement in many other attacks on non-military targets including the Beslan school hostage massacre last September and a mass hostage-taking at a Moscow theater in 2002. |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the Constitution forbids the execution of killers who were under 18 when they committed their crimes, ending a practice used in 19 states.
The 5-4 decision throws out the death sentences of about 70 juvenile murderers and bars states from seeking to execute minors for future crimes.
The executions, the court said, violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The ruling continues the court's practice of narrowing the scope of the death penalty, which justices reinstated in 1976. The court in 1988 outlawed executions for those 15 and younger when they committed their crimes. Three years ago justices banned executions of the mentally retarded.
Tuesday's ruling prevents states from making 16- and 17-year-olds eligible for execution.
"The age of 18 is the point where society draws the line for many purposes between childhood and adulthood. It is, we conclude, the age at which the line for death eligibility ought to rest," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote.
Juvenile offenders have been put to death in recent years in only a few other countries, including Iran, Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia. Kennedy cited international opposition to the practice. (Notice the exclusive club of nations we've been admitted to who still legalize killing little children for sport. --ed.)
"It is proper that we acknowledge the overwhelming weight of international opinion against the juvenile death penalty, resting in large part on the understanding that the instability and emotional imbalance of young people may often be a factor in the crime," he wrote. (Kennedy, show me where the heck it says we should confer with international law in the AMERICAN CONSTITUTION!??!?! --ed.)
In a dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia disputed that there is a clear trend of declining juvenile executions to justify a growing consensus against the practice.
"The court says in so many words that what our people's laws say about the issue does not, in the last analysis, matter: 'In the end our own judgment will be brought to bear on the question of the acceptability of the death penalty,"' he wrote.
"The court thus proclaims itself sole arbiter of our nation's moral standards," Scalia wrote. (Boo-yea! Did I just see this in print??? --ed.)
Justices were called on to draw an age line in death cases after Missouri's highest court overturned the death sentence given to Christopher Simmons, who was 17 when he kidnapped a neighbor, hog-tied her and threw her off a bridge in 1993. Prosecutors say he planned the burglary and killing of Shirley Crook and bragged that he could get away with it because of his age.
The four most liberal justices had already gone on record in 2002, calling it "shameful" to execute juvenile killers. Those four, joined by Kennedy, formed Tuesday's decision: Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Justice Clarence Thomas and Scalia, as expected, voted to uphold the executions. They were joined by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
|
Top PLO Body Calls for End to Attacks
Sun Jan 16,11:09 AM ET Middle East - AP
By MARK LAVIE, Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM - A top PLO decision-making body called on Palestinian militants Sunday to halt attacks against Israel, charging that the violence gives Israel an excuse to carry out military operations. |
January 12, 2005
BY JIM RITTER Health Reporter
Eating lots of red meat and processed meat can increase the risk of colon cancer by as much as 50 percent, a major study has found.
But a separate study found eating lots of fruits and vegetables did not protect against breast cancer. Both studies are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In the meat study, American Cancer Society researchers examined surveys of nearly 150,000 adults. Men and women aged 50 to 74 were asked about their eating habits in 1982 and 1992-93, and were followed through 2001.
Those who ate at least three ounces of red meat per day in both surveys were 29 percent more likely to get cancer in the distal colon near the rectum than those who ate little or no red meat. Among those who ate the highest amounts of processed meat, the risk was 50 percent higher.
Red meat includes beef, pork, ham and liver. Processed meat includes bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham, bologna, salami and lunchmeat. Three ounces is equivalent to a large fast-food hamburger |
Sri Lanka Probes Alleged Child Trafficking
Wed Jan 12, 1:53 PM ET
By TINI TRAN, Associated Press Writer
BATAPOLA, Sri Lanka - Police have arrested a 63-year-old Sri Lankan man on charges of trying to sell his two young granddaughters after their home was destroyed and their mother killed by the Asian tsunami — a case that highlights the vulnerability of children in the wake of the disaster.
The United Nations (news - web sites) and international aid agencies have expressed concern that child traffickers are exploiting the chaos in countries hit hardest by the tsunami, and trying to abduct and then sell orphans into forced labor or the sex trade.
"There is definitely a danger. The opportunity is there. The situation will attract (traffickers)," said Udaya de Silva, a police inspector in charge of crimes against women and children in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo.
[...]
UNICEF said the disaster's aftermath could create a double tragedy — increasing the likelihood that people who have lost everything will be tempted to sell off children who are an economic burden.
"There is a clear danger that as time goes by, people will become more desperate," said Sajeeva Samaranayake, a UNICEF program officer for child protection. "They will have other needs." |
LONDON (AFP) - Britain's Prince Harry apologized after he was pictured on the front page of The Sun newspaper in a Nazi soldier's uniform which he wore to a fancy dress party.
Thursday's edition of the Sun features Prince Harry, younger son of Britain's Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, wearing the uniform with an armband showing a swastika, emblem of the Nazi Party.
A spokeswoman for the royal family who was contacted by AFP read a statement of apology.
"I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize," Prince Harry said in the statement.
A source close to the royal family said the party took place sometime after January 1.
Doug Henderson, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North and a former armed forces minister, said Prince Harry should not now be allowed to become a British Army officer.
"After the revelations this evening I don't think this young man is suitable for Sandhurst," the army officer training school, he said.
"If it was anyone else the application wouldn't be considered. It should be withdrawn immediately," he said.
[But wait...it gets better! --.ed]
The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed the apology, according to Sky television.
"We're gratified that the prince has apologized. The incident was in bad taste, especially in the runup to the holocaust memorial day, which the royal family will play a leading role in commemorating," it said.
Holocaust memorial day is marked on January 27, the day in 1945 when the Soviet army liberated Auschwitz, the most infamous of the Nazi World War II concentration camps. |
BERLIN - Islamic extremists accused of plotting to kill Iraq's prime minister in Germany are smuggling battle-hardened fighters from Iraq to Europe, raising a potential new terrorist threat on the continent, according to German officials. |
Report: U.N. Troops Exploited Congo Girls U.S. National - (AP)
By LEYLA LINTON, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS - United Nations peacekeepers in Congo sexually exploited women and girls, some as young as 13, a U.N. watchdog office said Friday in a new confirmation that efforts to curb abuses by U.N. troops are not working.
Peacekeepers regularly had sex with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money, investigators from the world body's Office of Internal Oversight Services found. [ie: prostitution. --.ed]
"We have had and continue to have a serious problem of sexual exploitation and abuse," William Lacy Swing, the United Nations' special representative to Congo, said at a news conference.
"We are shocked by it, we are outraged, we are sickened by it. Peacekeepers who have been sworn to assist those in need, particularly those who have been victims of sexual violence, instead have caused grievous harm."
Charges of sex abuse and other crimes have been lodged against U.N. peacekeeping missions around the world for decades. Officials have found it difficult to crack down because the United Nations doesn't want to offend the relatively small number of countries that are willing to provide peacekeepers. [What the...--.ed]
[...]
The abusive behavior in Congo continued even as the investigation was going on in Bunia between May and September, the report said. It also said some military officers tried to block the investigators' work.
The misconduct was "serious and ongoing" and investigators found it "disturbing" that there was no program in place to deter misconduct or protect civilians from abuses, the report added.
[...]
The investigators looked into 72 allegations against military and civilian U.N. personnel, which resulted in 20 case reports, all but one involving peacekeepers.
"In six cases, the allegations against the peacekeeper were fully substantiated, and underage girls were involved in all of them," the report said. It said none of the peacekeepers admitted to the allegations. |
[...] The peacekeepers over the last year have been accused of gang rapes, sexual harassment and bribing children as young as 12 or 13 with eggs, milk and a few dollars to have sex in bushes, on the bare ground or under mango trees. |
India's untouchables forced out of relief camps
KESHVANPALAYAM, India (AFP) - India's untouchables, reeling from the tsunami disaster, are being forced out of relief camps by higher caste survivors and being denied aid supplies, activists charged.
Kuppuswamy Ramachandran, 32, a Dalit or untouchable in India's rigid caste hierarchy, said he and his family were told to leave a relief camp in worst-hit Nagapattinam district where 50 more families were housed.
"The higher caste fishing community did not allow us to sleep in a marriage hall where they are put up because we belong to the lowest caste," Ramachandran said.
[...]
Vijaya Lakshmi, spokeswoman for South India Federation of Fishermen Societies, agreed and said one could not wish away a centuries-old caste system when a disaster struck. |
UN Fears Gangs May Traffick in Tsunami Children
Tue January 04, 2005 05:46 PM ET
By Thomas Atkins
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Tuesday it was concerned children orphaned or separated from their parents by Asia's tsunami may be falling prey to criminal gangs bent on selling them into slavery.
The U.N. said it had received reports of adults posing as foster parents and children being shipped from Indonesia to Malaysia for sale, adding to worries about a "tsunami generation" of children also under threat of disease and hunger.
U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) officers were alarmed when a colleague in Kuala Lumpur received an unsolicited mobile phone text message offering children to order, UNICEF spokesman John Budd said by telephone from Jakarta.
"Three hundred orphans aged 3-10 years from Aceh for adoption. All paperwork will be taken care of. No fee. Please state age and sex of child required," the message read.
Although the message mentioned no fee, Budd said: "If you read that text message, and if it is true, then either they have 300 orphans for sale or they have the capacity to seize children according to orders received."
Children account for at least a third of the 150,000 people killed by the Dec. 26 tsunami. The killer waves ripped children from their parents' arms, battering some to death and leaving others to survive alone. |
“The word is out that they’re going to be cold and miserable. Those guys who want to get their jihad on like it’s spring break won’t want to do that now,” |
The Narco-Terrorist Who Came in From the Cold
By Sean Donahue,
Posted on Wed Dec 29th, 2004 at 03:18:55 PM EST
U.S. authorities have remained strangely silent regarding the Colombian government's decision to delay or cancel the extradition of AUC Chief Salvatore Mancuso on cocaine trafficking and money laundering charges.
THE NARCO-TERRORIST WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD:
Why Isn’t Mancuso being Extradited?
On December 11, Stewart Tuttle, head of the Political Affairs division of the U.S. Embassy in Bogota looked on as Salvatore Mancuso, commander of Colombia’s largest and most brutal network of right-wing death squads, ceremonially surrendered his Berretta to Colombian Peace Commissioner Carlos Luis Restrepo.
But Tuttle and his superiors were strangely silent a week later when the government of President Alvaro Uribe announced that it would not extradite Mancuso to the U.S. to face cocaine trafficking and money laundering charges as long as the death squad leader agreed to “cease all illegal activities” and encourage other paramilitaries to take part in the government’s demobilization process. While the U.S. hasn’t formally dropped its extradition request, neither the U.S. Embassy nor the U.S. State Department has issued a public statement about Uribe’s decision to delay or cancel Mancuso’s handover to U.S. authorities – which is highly unusual to say the least, given that Mancuso is the head of a terrorist organization and is accused of conspiring to smuggle over seventeen tons of cocaine to the U.S. and Europe. [yet...they gladly accepted a F.A.R.C. terrorist, instead.--.ed]
THE CHARGES AGAINST MANCUSO
The U.S. State Department has classified Mancuso’s organization, the “Self Defense Forces of Colombia” (AUC,) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization – the same legal designation that it applies to groups like Ansar al-Islam, al-Qa’ida, and Hamas. According to its website, the policy of the State Department’s Counterterrorism Office, which compiles the list of terrorist organizations, is to “make no concessions to terrorists and strike no deals” and to “bring terrorists to justice for their crime.”
Involvement in the operation of a Foreign Terrorist Organization is a capital offense under the PATRIOT Act.
According to the State Department’s 2004 Human Rights Report on Colombia, compiled under Tuttle’s supervision, the AUC remains actively involved in terrorist operations throughout Colombia: “Despite cease-fires declared in the context of demobilization negotiations conducted by the AUC--an umbrella organization of different paramilitary terrorist groups--with the Government, these terrorists continued to commit numerous unlawful and political killings, including of labor leaders, often kidnapping and torturing suspected guerrilla sympathizers prior to executing them. They also conducted kidnappings for ransom and committed ‘social cleansing’ killings of homosexuals and other supposedly ‘undesirable’ elements. The AUC terrorists often interfered with personal privacy in areas where they exercised de facto control, and regularly engaged in military operations in which they endangered civilian lives by fighting in urban areas and using civilian dwellings as combat shelter. AUC terrorists displaced thousands through both terror-induced forced displacements of suspect populations and military operations that drove peasants from their homes. AUC terrorists regularly threatened and attacked human rights workers and journalists who criticized their illegal activities. They also recruited child soldiers. Important strategic and financial areas continued to be heavily contested, especially as the Government eradicated coca crops, and created anti-kidnapping task forces.”Mancuso has been the main public face of the AUC since the disappearance of the organization’s founder, Carlos Castano last year. Sources in the Colombian human rights community allege that Castano is currently in hiding in Israel. [Why Israel, I've yet to find out.--.ed] Mancuso’s role in massacres, disappearances, and assassinations would be sufficient grounds for his prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity. But the U.S. also claims that Mancuso was involved in a major cocaine trafficking operation designed by Castano to fund the AUC. In a September 24, 2002 press conference announcing the indictment of Castano, Mancuso, and a third AUC leader, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said: “Today's indictment charges AUC leaders, not as the anti-FARC freedom fighters they claim to be, but as criminals - violent drug traffickers who poison our citizens and threaten our national security. According to the indictment, Carlos Castaño directed cocaine production and distribution activities in AUC-controlled regions of Colombia, including protecting coca processing laboratories, setting quality and price controls for cocaine, and arranging for and protecting cocaine shipments both within and outside of Colombia. Castaño and his co-defendants used violence, force and intimidation to maintain this authority over cocaine trafficking activities. For example, the indictment alleges that Castaño resorted to kidnaping and threats, and that Salvatore Mancuso caused the brutal murder of another Colombian drug trafficker as retribution for failing to pay a drug debt.”He went on to emphasize the seriousness of the charges, saying “The men named in the indictment are accused of selling one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs: cocaine. Cocaine, including its derivative form crack, remains the most frequently mentioned drug in 14 of the 20 cities in the Drug Abuse Warning Network. In addition, cocaine accounted for 50 percent of all drug-related episodes in emergency rooms between 1999 and 2000. Today, we see more clearly than ever the interdependence between the terrorists that threaten American lives and the illegal drugs that threaten American potential. As today's indictment reminds us, the lawlessness that breeds terrorism is also a fertile ground for the drug trafficking that supports terrorism. To surrender to either of these threats is to surrender to both.”Tough words. But the U.S. has not followed them up with action. Earlier this year, the Colombian government suspended its own arrest order against Mancuso and allowed him to address the Colombian legislature – the U.S. remained silent. And military aid has continued to flow to Colombia even though the State Department admits that there are widespread ties between the Colombian military and the AUC and human rights groups have documented the role of the AUC in the election of President Uribe. TALKING WITH TERRORISTS Despite the State Department’s stated policy of refusing to negotiate with terrorists, both the Colombian and the U.S. press reported that U.S. Embassy officials met with representatives of the AUC in May 0f 2003 to discuss the indictements against Castano and Mancuso. (See Luis Gomez’s report) Colombian sources place Stewart Tuttle, and his deputy, Alex Lee at these meetings, and it seems clear that neither man would have jeopardized his career by meeting with terrorists in possible violation of the PATRIOT act without authorization from somewhere much higher in the chain of command. In the weeks that followed the revelations about these meetings, Tuttle and Lee, who had previously met frequently with U.S. visitors to Colombia disappeared from the Embassy’s briefing room. During this time, an Embassy official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, acknowledged that the meetings had taken place, but insisted that the Embassy was merely trying to reiterate its desire to have Mancuso and Castano surrender themselves to U.S. authorities. (Does this mean that if they were stationed in Afghanistan or Pakistan, Tuttle and Lee would meet with representatives of al Qu’aida to reiterate their desire to see Osama bin Laden surrender for prosecution.) Apparently, however, Tuttle no longer sees the need to reiterate the U.S.’s desire to put Mancuso behind bars. And its hard to believe that the Colombian government would cancel its plans to extradite Mancuso without consulting the Bush administration. What remains to be seen is who in the U.S. decided to let Salvatore Mancuso get away. So much for the “war on terror.” |
''They threw the ball in the FARC's court in order to make it look like the FARC's fault,'' Silva said.The extradition occurred on January 1. U.S. Ambassador William Wood said he wanted Uribe to approve the transfer A.S.A.P.--that was on December 5. I was a bit perplexed upon reading Sean's article, "The Narco-Terrorist Who Came in From the Cold" (posted in full above)... and subsequently learning that Mancuso would -not- be extradited on the condition he complied with the peace accords (etc...)--As Sean said, Washington's silence (almost) went unnoticed. Yet... Uribe had no difficulty shipping FARC's Palmero up North... Go figure. Apparently the definition of a terrorist is flexible when it is politically convenient. Negotions and deals pointless in Colombia. Uribe's crew knows this. As Ralph Peters of the NYPost once said in regards to dealing with terrorists, "Negotiations are the heroin of Westerners addicted to self-delusion." What makes anyone believe for a second Mancuso will tow the line? Afterall, a terrorist, by any other name, would hang just as sweet... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 1/3/2005 07:35:11 PM TITLE: In South America: More of the same ----- BODY:
LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Peruvian police and troops on Monday launched an offensive to retake a police station in a southern Andean town and end a three-day siege by ex-soldiers demanding the resignation of unpopular President Alejandro Toledo. |
There are two recent historic parallels: One in Mexico, the other in Venezuela... And history, again, as a New Year begins, knocks on the door of our América... It was 11-years-ago to the date that the indigenous Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN, in its Spanish initials) uncloaked in Chiapas, Mexico, offering the first resistance to centralized global economic powers on the first day that the North American Free Trade Agreement was to take effect and begin the systematic looting of Mexico's natural and human wealth. And the military officer Humala's announcement that he will surrender, so quickly into the revolt, is reminiscent of the day in 1992 when a young military officer in Venezuela named Hugo Chavez turned himself in after a similar revolt, telling the TV cameras that he was retreating, "por ahora..." ("for now...")The Andes are are a-changin' mis amigos... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 1/3/2005 07:30:48 PM TITLE: With chaos comes lawlessness ----- BODY:
COLOMBO (AFP) - Women activists urged Sri Lankan authorities to step up protection for tsunami survivors amid unconfirmed reports some had been molested or even gang raped at refugee shelters.
The rights group, Women and Media Collective, urged stepped up protection for women and children who were more vulnerable after they were driven out of their homes by last week's tsunamis that killed more than 30,000 people.
"We have received reports of incidents of rape, rang rape, molestation and physical abuse of women and girls in the course of unsupervised rescue operations and while resident in temporary shelters," it said in a statement.
|
BOSTON - A Kentucky widow, moved by the cries of grief she heard in reports about the tsunami disaster in south Asia, invited her entire town to a New Year's Eve bash to raise money for the victims. In California, a college offered free basketball tickets, with a gift for relief efforts the only price of admission.
A group of children in a Seattle suburb stood out in the rain offering "Hot Chocolate for Tidal Wave Relief!" and raised $255.
In ways large and small, people around the country have found ways to help victims of one of history's worst natural disasters.
[...]
Oxfam said Friday it had received almost $6 million in unsolicited donations since the disaster on Dec. 26 [THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS! After most "stingy" Americans have spent their fair share on gifts!--.ed]. The American Red Cross reported almost $44 million in donations from Americans by Thursday evening.
|
* Quit idolizing Europe. It was a far larger arms merchant to Saddam than was the United States; it supplied most of Dr. Khan’s nuclear laboratory; it financed much of the Oil-for-Food scandal; and it helped to create and tolerate the Balkans genocide. It has never freed any country or intervened to remove fascism and leave behind democracy — silly American notions that are to be caricatured except when it is a matter of saving Europeans.
* Stop seeing an all-powerful United States behind every global problem. China is on the move and far more likely to disrupt environmental protocols, cheat on trade accords, and bully neighbors. The newly expanded Europe has a larger population and aggregate economy, stronger currency, and far less in trade and budget debts than does the United States — and is already using that economic clout for its own interests, not global freedom from dictators and autocrats.
* Don’t believe much of what the U.N. says anymore. Its secretary general is guilty of either malfeasance or incompetence, its soldiers are often hired thugs who terrorize those they are supposed to protect, and its resolutions are likely to be anti-democratic and anti-Semitic. Its members include dozens of nations whose odious representatives we would not let walk inside the doors of the U.S. Congress. The old idea of a United Nations was inspiring, the current reality chilling. |
Report: Stewart Loses Contest in Prison (AP)
NEW YORK - Martha Stewart, who built a billion-dollar media empire based on her holiday and home decorating tips, was unable to lead her team to victory in a prison decoration contest, a magazine reported.
Stewart and a team of fellow inmates at a federal prison camp in Alderson, W.Va., crafted paper cranes to be hung from the ceiling, People magazine reported in an article posted on its Web site Wednesday. They lost out to a competing team that built a nativity scene showing "pictures of snow-covered hills and sleds and clouds on the wall," the magazine quoted an inmate as saying.
Each team was given $25 worth of glitter, ribbons, construction paper and glue to build a display based on the theme "Peace on Earth," the magazine said. |
US also faces tsunami threat
27/12/2004 08:16 - (SA)
Paris - Cities on the US East Coast and in the Caribbean could be wrecked by a tsunami unleashed by the collapse of a volcanic island in the eastern Atlantic, British scientists believe.
A massive chunk of La Palma, the most volcanically active island in the Canaries archipelago, is unstable, says Simon Day, of the Benfield Grieg Hazard Research Centre at University College London.
He calculates that its flank could collapse the next time the volcano, Cumbre Vieja, erupts.
If so, that would send a dome-shaped wall of water up to 100 metres high racing across the Atlantic at 800 kilometres per hour, hitting the western coast of Africa and southern coast of England within a few hours.
Some eight hours after the collapse, the US East Coast and Caribbean would bear the brunt.
Cities from Miami to New York would get swamped by waves up to 50 metres high, capable of surging up to 20 kilometres inland, according to Day's research. |
"I believe in the soul, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, [and] that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap."
-- Kevin Costner, Bull Durham
|
Poll shows troops in support of war
Mon Dec 27, 8:27 AM ET
By Robert Hodierne, Army Times
Despite a year of ferocious combat, mounting casualties and frequent deployments, support for the war in Iraq remains very high among the active-duty military, according to a Military Times Poll.
Sixty-three percent of respondents approve of the way President Bush is handling the war, and 60% remain convinced it is a war worth fighting. Support for the war is even greater among those who have served longest in the combat zone: Two-thirds of combat vets say the war is worth fighting.
But the men and women in uniform are under no illusions about how long they will be fighting in Iraq; nearly half say they expect to be there more than five years.
In addition, 87%% say they're satisfied with their jobs and, if given the choice today, only 25% say they'd leave the service.
Compared with last year, the percentages for support for the war and job satisfaction remain essentially unchanged.
A year ago, 77% said they thought the military was stretched too thin to be effective. This year, that number shrank to 66%.
The findings are part of the annual Military Times Poll, which this year included 1,423 active-duty subscribers to Air Force Times, Army Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times.
The subscribers were randomly surveyed by mail in late November and early December. The poll has a margin of error of +/-2.6%.
Among the poll's other findings:
• 75% oppose a military draft.
• 60% blame Congress for the shortage of body armor in the combat zone.
• 12% say civilian Pentagon (news - web sites) policymakers should be held accountable for abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
|
Why Is It Merry?
Posted by Jim Price - 12/24/2004 2:02:52 AM
As I sat here in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve, I began to wonder if anyone that happened across this blog might wonder why Christmas should be a Merry event.
- Because Santa Clause brings us presents?
- How about getting to see all of the family we seem to drift away from through the course of life each year?
- I know! It's the relief brought about by a few much-needed days off from work...right?
All perfectly valid and good reasons to be merry, but is there something else?
Yes! Read on:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ever heard the phrase, "Jesus Is The Reason For The Season"? It's true. Christians are especially merry at Christmas time, not just because of the family, the food, fun, presents, and vacation we enjoy- we know that Christmas is the hallmark of joy. It is the celebration of the most signifigant turning point in Earth's history. You see, God loves us, and although He cannot tolerate our sin, He found a way to redeem us, and bring us back into fellowship with Him.
He sent His son Jesus to earth, to be born as a man; to grow up as we do; to fully experience life in all of its wonders, amazement, and yes, even temptation. But unlike us, Jesus did not give into temptation- ever. Not once did He ever sin. That is why He was able to become the perfect sacrifice on the cross for our sins. He took our guilt upon Himself, willingly, and died to make us free.
And that is why we celebrate His birth. Furthermore, that is the real reason why Christmas is merry!
Merry Christmas to you! Enjoy this holiday season; slow down and get to know your family and friends again. Most importantly, if you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, you won't have to look far to find Him. He's patiently waiting for you to notice that He's already found you. But only you can decide to let Him in.
|
Sex scandal in Congo threatens to engulf UN's peacekeepers
By Jonathan Clayton and James Bone
They should be rebuilding the country, but foreign workers face serious accusations
HOME-MADE pornographic videos shot by a United Nations logistics expert in the Democratic Republic of Congo have sparked a sex scandal that threatens to become the UN’s Abu Ghraib.
The expert was a Frenchman who worked at Goma airport as part of the UN’s $700 million-a-year effort to rebuild the war-shattered country. When police raided his home they discovered that he had turned his bedroom into a studio for videotaping and photographing sex sessions with young girls.
The bed was surrounded by large mirrors on three sides, according to a senior Congolese police officer. On the fourth side was a camera that he could operate from the bed with a remote control.
When the police arrived the man was allegedly about to rape a 12-year-old girl sent to him in a sting operation. Three home-made porn videos and more than 50 photographs were found.
The case has highlighted the apparently rampant sexual exploitation of Congolese girls and women by the UN’s 11,000 peacekeepers and 1,000 civilians at a time when the UN is facing many problems, including the Iraqi “oil-for-food” scandal and accusations of sexual harassment by senior UN staff in Geneva and New York.
The prospect of the pornographic videos and photographs — now on sale in Congo — becoming public worries senior UN officials, who fear a UN version of the scandal at the American-run Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq. “It would be a pretty big problem for the UN if these pictures come out,” one senior official said. (You mean, when they come out!--ed.)
Investigations have already turned up 150 allegations of sexual misconduct by peacekeepers and UN staff despite the UN’s official policy of “zero-tolerance”. One found 68 allegations of misconduct in the town of Bunia alone.
UN insiders told The Times that two Russian pilots based in Mbandaka paid young girls with jars of mayonnaise and jam to have sex with them.
They filmed the sessions and sent the tapes to Russia. But the men were tipped off and left the area before UN investigators arrived.
The Moroccan peacekeeping contingent based in Kisangani — a town on the Congo River with no road links to the outside world — had one of the worst reputations. A soldier accused of rape was apparently hidden in the barracks for a year.
In July 2002 the rebel commander Major-General Jean Pierre Ondekane, who subsequently became Minister of Defence in a postwar transitional government, told a top UN official that all that Monuc (the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) would be remembered for in Kisangani was “for running after little girls”.
An international organisation examining the sex trade between Monuc and local women found that in March there were 82 women and girls who had been made pregnant by Moroccan men and 59 more by Uruguayan men.
According to UN insiders, at least two UN officials — a Ukrainian and a Canadian — have had to leave the country after getting local women pregnant.
Jordan’s Prince Zeid Raad Al Hussein, a special adviser to the UN Secretary-General, who led one investigative team, said in a confidential report obtained by The Times: “The situation appears to be one of ‘zero-compliance with zero- tolerance’ throughout the mission.”
Sexual exploitation and abuse mostly involves the exchange of sex for money (on average between $1 — 52p — and $3), for food — for immediate consumption or to barter — or for jobs, especially affecting daily workers, the prince’s report said.
In addition, victims spoke of incidents of rape, as well as “rape disguised as prostitution” where a girl was raped and then given money or food afterwards to give the appearance of a transaction having taken place.
Three civilian UN staff have already been suspended.
A man who worked for the UN’s investigative arm in Kinshasa has resigned after being accused of consorting with a prostitute.
The Frenchman with the homemade pornography accused of paedophilia was sent back to France in October and is in jail facing charges of sexually assaulting a minor.
“The fact that these things happened is a blot on us. It’s awful,” Jean-Marie Guehenno, the UN’s under-secretary-general for peacekeeping, said.
“What is important is to get to the bottom of it and fight it and make sure that people who do that pay for what they have done.” (riiiiiight...pardon me if I don't hold me breath.--ed.)
The UN has now plastered its code of conduct on UN premises in Congo. The code forbids sex with prostitutes or women under the age of 18 — even though the Congolese age of consent is 14.
But the UN continues to hand out free condoms to peacekeepers because of the fear of Aids. (Oh yes, because it would be just terrible if one of the U.N. peacekeepers contracted AIDS from a 14 year-old, wouldn't it???--ed.)
A second internal UN report, also obtained by The Times, detailed the extent of prostitution by “street girls” and “girlfriends” in Kisangani.
“One strategy is to find another UN staffer with a ‘girl friend’ and ask the girl if she knows a friend. She will usually be only too happy to comply and a more or less suitable candidate will be dispatched to the staff member’s house,” the report said.
Mireille Byongo, 20, a prostitute from Goma, said that she had had no problem gaining admission to the town’s UN barracks.
“The guys on duty at the entrance know why we have come,” she said. She said she had once gone to the tent of her Moroccan “boyfriend” and found him with a young girl aged “anything from 10 to 12”. Disgusted, she left.
“Never forget this is Heart of Darkness country. People do things here just because they can,” one female UN employee said, in a reference to Joseph Conrad’s novel about the abuses of the former Belgian Congo. |
| Which member of the JLA are you? Superman Rocketed to earth by his parents to escape thier doomed planet Krypton. Kal-El(Clark Kent)'s contact with the Earth's yellow sun gives him amazing abilities that he uses to fight for truth, justice, and the American way. He fills the role of leader in the JLA.
|
| Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests. |
[...] When during the trial Scot began to read Qur’anic verses that discriminate against women, a lawyer for the Islamic Council of Victoria, the organization that brought the suit, stopped him: reading the verses aloud, she said, would in itself be religious vilification. Dismayed, Scot replied:
"How can it be vilifying to Muslims in the room when I am just reading from the Qur’an?” |
BRUNSWICK, Ga. - With the Battle of the Bulge raging in western Europe during World War II, workers at a Brunswick shipyard were determined to deliver one more ship by year's end. To get the job done, laborers were needed around the clock on Christmas Day. About 1,500 volunteered — and they worked for free. |
[...] MTV Networks will reach a milestone in February when the turn of a switch starts an MTV outlet in Africa, the company's 100th channel worldwide and first based on that continent.
Most of its American audience is probably unaware of the extent to which MTV and its sister networks have blanketed the world in an aggressive expansion drive. That may soon change. |
[...] MTV Indonesia includes a regular call to prayer for its Islamic audience. |
MOSCOW - Russia has restricted rights to such an extent that it has joined the countries that are not free for the first time since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, Freedom House said Monday, marking Moscow's march away from the Western democracies it has embraced as diplomatic partners.
[...]
"Russia's step backward into the 'Not Free' category is the culmination of a growing trend under President Vladimir Putin to concentrate political authority, harass and intimidate the media, and politicize the country's law-enforcement system," Executive Director Jennifer Windsor said in a statement.
"These moves mark a dangerous and disturbing drift toward authoritarianism in Russia, made more worrisome by President Putin's recent heavy-handed meddling in political developments in neighboring countries, such as Ukraine." |
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A group of Christian protesters in Scotland has called on police to prosecute a theater company for blasphemy because it is putting on a play about a gay Jesus. |
"Conservatives have been waiting for 25 years to have all the stars aligned," says Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, which favors less government. "We have very high expectations because we now feel that Republicans have all the levers of power." |
"The internet is a perfect drug delivery system because you are anonymous, aroused and have role models for these behaviors," Layden said. "To have drug pumped into your house 24/7, free, and children know how to use it better than grown-ups know how to use it -- it's a perfect delivery system if we want to have a whole generation of young addicts who will never have the drug out of their mind." |
Divisions over Iraq war delay a soldier's tribute
By Rick Hampson, USA TODAY
The young soldier tried to sound brave, but his mother could hear the fear in his voice all the way from Iraq (news - web sites). Before the satellite phone cut out, he made a request - the prayer of every soldier in peril: "Just don't forget me."
Those were the last words Regina Gilbert ever heard spoken by her only child. Three weeks later, Pfc. Kyle Gilbert was killed in Baghdad, leaving his parents and community the sad but seemingly simple task of granting his final wish.
In a town divided by the war, there was a symbolic solution: Name a bridge - a span between opposite sides - for Kyle Charles Gilbert (1983-2003).
It seemed an idea everyone could embrace. But not, as it turned out, if Kyle's marker bore the likeness of an American eagle. Or the slogan "Freedom isn't free." Or the name "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
In the end, it took a year to honor Kyle Gilbert. "We just wanted to remember Kyle," his mother says. "But things got politicized."
Brattleboro's struggle to remember its fallen son illustrates how the Iraq war can divide people, even when they're merely trying to honor the dead, even when they try to do so without offending anyone.
The U.S. military death toll in Iraq has risen from about 255 when Kyle Gilbert was shot to 1,286 as of Sunday. More and more communities face the same challenge: To remember the warriors without necessarily endorsing the war.
Kyle Gilbert's parents never imagined that memorializing their son could be such an ordeal. But he had never asked for much, besides pizza, and so they resolved to do whatever it took to grant his last wish.
Gilbert joined a peacetime military with no intention of killing or dying. When he enlisted shortly after graduation from high school in 2001, he wanted to develop his interest in electronics, earn money for college and learn to jump out of airplanes as his father had in Army Special Forces a quarter-century earlier.
He was in jump school at Fort Benning, Ga., with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division on Sept. 11, 2001. "Kyle knew what that meant," his mother says. "He knew there was going to be a war."
At jump school graduation, according to tradition, father and son exchanged their silver wings pins, and Bob pinned his to Kyle's chest.
Eighteen months later, the 82nd Airborne marched into Baghdad. Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s statue fell, and President Bush (news - web sites) flew onto an aircraft carrier in the Pacific and declared major combat over. Kyle and his buddies made friends with local kids and went swimming at one of Saddam's palaces.
A town's twin cultures
In Brattleboro, which has been called a college town without the college, the war was more complicated. The community has two cultures: One traces its origins to communes that sprouted here in the 1960s; the other is rooted in traditional, conservative, rural Vermont. The first group was most concerned with opposing the war, the second with supporting the troops.
The town commons was the site of many anti-war demonstrations. One attracted about 1,000 people. Given Brattleboro's population of 12,000, it was one of the nation's largest demonstrations per capita.
There also were demonstrations in support of the troops, some of which coincided with war protests. The Gilberts sent Kyle photos of the former.
Early on, he mailed them a makeshift postcard on a piece of ripped cardboard with Arabic lettering at the edges. "I'm OK," he wrote. "You might have seen the 82nd Airborne on TV. ... Don't worry about me. I'll keep my head lower than my ass. ... I should be home by Halloween."
But as the months passed, the fighting never really stopped. Dates for coming home were pushed back. He was lonely, and increasingly he was scared.
"I could kinda tell, just from his voice, that things were changing," Regina says. "You just know your own son's voice."
Later, someone in Kyle's unit sent the Gilberts photos taken during the summer of 2003. In them he looks, his mother thinks, "like a different person" - thinner, older. "He doesn't look 20," she says.
When Kyle called home July 18, Regina greeted him by his baby name: "Hey, Bud-Bud!"
That seemed to get to him. After they'd talked for a while, he said, "Just don't forget me."
"You're my only baby!" she cried. "That's not gonna happen." Then the satellite phone connection, always delayed and tenuous, was cut off.
Hit by a sniper
On Aug. 5, one of Kyle's buddies in the 82nd Airborne called his mother, who also lived in Brattleboro. The next morning, the mother called Regina and told her "they're doing fine."
There had been no U.S. military deaths in Iraq for four days. Commanders had begun to hope that their campaign against guerrilla leaders had worked and that U.S. troops could begin to concentrate more on building goodwill among the Iraqi people.
That night Kyle was riding in a Humvee at the front of a patrol convoy in west Baghdad when a sniper opened fire. One shot hit a soldier in the back of the vehicle, knocking him out onto the road. Kyle and a sergeant leapt out to get him. There was more sniper fire, and both men were hit.
In Kyle's pocket was his last will and testament and a handwritten note. It began, "Dear Mom and Dad, By the time you read this I will have died for my country. Please don't be sad."
On Aug. 8, Regina was sitting at her desk at a food wholesaler reading USA TODAY, which she'd begun to buy for the war news. Two soldiers had been killed Aug. 6 in Baghdad. One was identified as Staff Sgt Brian Hellerman of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 235th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Kyle's unit.
"The name of the other solider had not been released," the article said.
"I don't feel so good about this," she told a co-worker. Then the phone rang. It was Bob. An Army officer was in town, looking for them. Bob didn't know any officers, so he had an idea what he wanted.
Kyle Gilbert was the first person from Brattleboro to die in Iraq. On Aug. 12, five months after he went to Iraq, he came home to a welcome unlike any the town had seen in many years. When the hearse got off Interstate 91, people had been waiting at the exit for hours. Unbidden, they lined the route into town, often four and five deep. Some followed the hearse on foot toward the funeral home.
The procession moved slowly through Brattleboro, past Kyle's high school, the hospital where he was born, the neighborhood where he grew up. Past the alignment shop and the car wash where he earned the $4,000 for big rims and tires for his souped-up red 1969 Chevelle.
Everyone was struck by the silence, broken only by the slow pounding of a single bass drum. Waiting at the funeral home, Regina heard the drum get louder and louder, and knew her son was coming.
Sam Haskins, a local Vietnam veteran, wondered how members of the 82nd Airborne who came to town for the funeral would react to anti-war demonstrators. A sergeant told him not to worry: "We're fighting so they have the right to do that."
Honoring sacrifice
On Veterans Day 2003, a local writer named Judy Gorman saw President Bush laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. It prompted her to write an op-ed column for the Brattleboro Reformer in which she argued that Bush had been "remarkably reticent in honoring the sacrifices made by the known soldiers" in Iraq. (Story: Memorial efforts across the U.S.)
"Let's do it for him," she wrote. Gilbert was Brattleboro's "hometown hero," so why not give his name to the newly reconstructed bridge that carries Main Street over Whetstone Brook?
She didn't expect anything to come of it. But a reader sent a $100 check to the newspaper. Other donations followed. In January, the town council voted to name the bridge for Gilbert. Residents, many of them moved by memories of his homecoming, raised more than $10,000 for a memorial at the bridge.
Choice of words
As devised by the town manager, the Gilberts and a group of veterans, the design called for a granite monument 4 feet high. The face bore the likeness of an American eagle with a scroll in its talons. On the scroll was "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE" and below it: "BRATTLEBORO SUPPORTS ALL THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED OUR NATION OR MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE DURING OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM."
But after the design was circulated among town officials, Sam Haskins, the Vietnam vet, got a call from Jerry Remillard, the town manager. "He said, 'We have to change this to make people happy,' " Haskins says.
Some people considered the eagle to be jingoistic, "Freedom isn't free" to be a pro-war slogan, and "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to be Pentagon (news - web sites) propaganda. Even the word "supports" was seen by some as condoning the war.
Pat DeAngelo, a council member, threatened to disclaim responsibility for the memorial unless the language was changed. "This was supposed to be an apolitical statement," she told the Reformer." 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' definitely is not."
Gorman, the writer who'd started it all, called the wording "bellicose."
Regina Gilbert was stunned. Freedom wasn't free. Didn't everyone support the troops, if not the war? She wasn't political; at 41, she'd never even voted.
"They said they didn't want a war memorial, but we weren't promoting a war," Bob says.
But the Gilberts agreed to change the wording. "We couldn't let people forget Kyle," Regina says. "We kept going for Kyle."
The bridge was named on a cold Veterans Day morning last month. The memorial reads: BRATTLEBORO REMEMBERS ALL THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED OUR COUNTRY OR MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE IN IRAQ.
Above those words is the inscription: AS KYLE SAID, 'JUST DON'T FORGET ME.'
"Now I know we'll never forget him," Bob Gilbert told a crowd of several hundred, "and I think you won't, either."
Five anti-war protesters stood silently across the street, holding signs: "We Mourn All Victims of War" and "Honor Vets by Ending the War." One protester was Bob Bady, who took an hour off from work to be there. He felt the memorial's presence glorified the war, however inadvertently, and ignored Iraqi victims.
"We did something that needed to be out there," he later said of the protest. "I don't think we caused a whole lot of discomfort."
Pain persists
Sixteen months after Kyle's death, the Gilberts have not been able to bring themselves to go through the five containers of his personal items shipped from Fort Bragg. "You send off your son," Regina muses, "and everything comes back in a box."
She's bitter about the war - on Nov. 2, she voted for the first time - but not about how the memorial turned out.
"No matter how divided the community, we couldn't have done it without them," she says. "We can't hate the protesters. We need to keep that freedom of speech."
The Reformer concluded that the compromise wording seemed "palatable to all." Remillard, the town manager, says that although the Gilberts "would have preferred something more direct," even the substitution of "remembers" for "supports" made sense: "It speaks to the future more than the present."
In the days after the memorial's dedication, pedestrians frequently would stop and touch the fine, smooth Vermont granite. But now more and more pass by. It is becoming part of the landscape.
Will Kyle Gilbert's simplest, most urgent wish - "Don't forget me" - ultimately be the hardest to grant? |
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Myanmar has extended Aung San Suu Kyi's detention, Malaysia's foreign minister said Monday, confirming recent reports from Yangon that the junta had decided to keep her in isolation.
"It is confirmed," Syed Hamid Albar told reporters. "But we don't even know if there is an end-date. They only say they have not released her...(she is) going to continue to be placed under house arrest."
Syed Hamid earlier hosted a meeting a conference of officials and diplomats from East Asian nations, attended by Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win and several of their Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) colleagues. Nyan Win declined comment.
Suu Kyi, 59, is the 1991 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. She has spent most of the past 15 years confined to her home in Yangon, with no telephone and requiring official permission to have visitors.
Her National League for Democracy said last Wednesday that Myanmar's rulers would extend Suu Kyi's isolation until at least Nov. 27 next year. There had been no official word from Yangon.
Syed Hamid said Myanmar should heed world opinion and release Suu Kyi to help national reconciliation and boost the junta's credibility.
"I think they should look at their roadmap so that it has got credibility and it is believed by the international community they are going to proceed as they have promised," he said.
"I think it should include finally the release of Aung San Suu Kyi if we talk about democracy," he said.
Myanmar's fellow ASEAN members have urged Yangon to release Suu Kyi, whose continued detention has proved an embarrassment to the forum in its dealings with Europe and the United States.
ASEAN, comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, has a long-held policy of not interfering in its members' internal affairs.
Washington, which has condemned Syu Kyi's detention and imposed sanctions on Myanmar, has said it will have to think about whether to deal with ASEAN at a senior level when Myanmar chairs the group in 2006, after Malaysia's turn in 2005.
Despite mounting international pressure, Myanmar has refused to budge, instead issuing assurances it is committed to moving toward democracy at its own pace.
|
"If sanctions are applied against the DPRK (North Korea)..., we will regard it as a declaration of war against our country and promptly react to the action by an effective physical method," the unidentified spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Japan swiftly shrugged off the North Korean warning (emp. mine--ed.), with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi suggesting the threat of an "effective physical" response might be part of a political strategy by Pyongyang.
|
VICTORVILLE, Calif. - When Marine Lance Cpl. David Battle learned he'd either have to sacrifice his ring finger or the wedding band he wore, he told doctors at a field hospital in Iraq to cut off the finger.
The 19-year-old former high school football star suffered a mangled left hand and serious wounds to his legs in a Nov. 13 fire fight in Fallujah. Battle, who is recovering at his parents' home in this desert city 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, came under attack as he and fellow Marines entered a building. Eleven other Marines were wounded.
Doctors were preparing to cut off Battle's ring to save as much of his finger as they could.
"But that would mean destroying my wedding ring," he said. "My wife is the strongest woman I know. She's basically running two people's lives since I've been gone. I don't think I could ever repay her or show her how grateful ... how much I love my wife, my soul mate."
With his approval, doctors severed his finger, but somehow in the chaos that followed, they lost his ring.(Idiots...--ed.)
Although Battle was disappointed, his wife, Devon, said she was honored.
"I can't believe he did that," she said. "At first I was mad when he told me, but then I realized how lucky I am to have him in my life."
The couple, who met in the eighth grade, were married in June, just two weeks before Battle left for Iraq. He hopes to eventually return to the Marines, and to replace his wedding ring, but that will have to wait until he recovers.
In the meanwhile, Battle's high school has planned a banquet in his honor next week.
"We need to make more David Battles," said Daniel Pierce, the school's assistant head coach. "He is one amazing guy."
|
1 Peter 1:3-4
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you..."
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Job 8:13
"Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless."
|
In arguing for death last week, prosecutors called Peterson "the worst kind of monster" and said he was undeserving of sympathy. Geragos begged of jurors: "Just don't kill him. That's all I am asking of you. End this cycle." |
The death sentence came almost two years to the date after the disappearance of Laci Peterson, a 27-year-old substitute teacher who married her college sweetheart and was soon to be the proud mother of a baby boy named Conner. [...]
The remains of Laci and the fetus washed ashore about four months later, just a few miles from where Peterson said he was fishing in the San Francisco Bay. The case went to trial in June, and the jury of six men and six women convicted Peterson last month of two counts of murder. |
[...] Kerik said the problematic issue arose as he was completing documents required for Senate confirmation. "I uncovered information that now leads me to question the immigration status of a person who had been in my employ as a housekeeper and nanny. It has also been brought to my attention that for a period of time during such employment required tax payments and related filings had not been made."
Kerik said he feared that the disclosure of the issue would generate intense scrutiny that would "only serve as a significant and unnecessary distraction to the vital efforts of the Department of Homeland Security." |
MADRID. - (el mundo) Dos llamadas en nombre de ETA han avisado al diario 'Gara' de la colocación de siete artefactos en Ávila, Valladolid, León, Santillana del Mar (Cantabria), Málaga, Ciudad Real y Alicante. Los comunicantes advirtieron de que harían explosión de forma simultánea a las 13.30 horas, tal y como ha ocurrido. Los siete lugares habían sido acordonados y desalojados aunque ha habido cierta confusión con algunos de ellos. Diez personas han sido atendidas en Santillana aunque sólo una de ellas, una niña, ha resultado herida leve.
Las Fuerzas de Seguridad, que se encontraban en estado de alerta, acordonaron y desalojaron las zonas, aunque algunos de los artefactos no estallaron exactamente donde se había señalado. Todos ellos estallaron con apenas unos minutos de diferencia.
Casi todos los explosivos estaban situados en lugares que en su denominación incluyen la palabra España [...] |
Two calls made in the name of ETA notified the daily 'Gara' of the placement of seven explosive devices in Ávila, Valladolid, León, Santillana del Mar (Cantabria), Málaga, Ciudad Real and Alicante. The callers explained that they would detonate the explosives in a simultaneous fashion at approximately 1:30PM, just as it has occurred. The seven places had been cordoned off and evacuated although there has been confusion in some of the areas. Ten people have been attended to in Santillana although only one of them, a girl, has turned out to be slightly injured.
The security forces, on the alert, cordoned off and evacuated the zones, although some of the explosive devices did not explode exactly where they had been indicated. All of them exploded within close proximity to one another.
Almost all the explosives were situated in places that in their denomination included the word "Spain" [...] |
"Monday [was] a public holiday in Spain to celebrate the 1978 constitution, bitterly opposed by ETA for enshrining the Basque region as part of Spain. Police had warned of a possible ETA attack."Spain is definitely wrestling with domestic (ETA, among others) and Islamic terrorism in their own way (this instance, as well as the March 11 train bombings by al-Qaeda). And to think I was in Madrid only a month before it all went down. It was a weird feeling hearing about the attacks on the news last March.
WASHINGTON - Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson resigned Friday, warning of a potential global outbreak of the flu and health-related terrorist attacks. “For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply because it is so easy to do,” he said.
|
International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December marks one year since the signing conference for the United Nations Convention against Corruption was held in Mérida, Mexico.
In the last year, over 110 countries have signed on to the Convention and nine have ratified it. Ratificiation by 30 Member States is necessary for the Convention to enter into force. |
LONDON (AFP) - Nearly half of Britons have never heard of the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz in southern Poland, according to a BBC television poll that was conducted just ahead of the 60th anniversary of the camp's liberation.
Forty-five percent of the 4,000 people questioned for the survey by BBC Two said they had never heard of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, the television channel said Thursday. |
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP)- A hospital in the Netherlands — the first nation to permit euthanasia — recently proposed guidelines for mercy killings of terminally ill newborns, and then made a startling revelation: It has already begun carrying out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives.
The announcement by the Groningen Academic Hospital came amid a growing discussion in Holland on whether to legalize euthanasia on people incapable of deciding for themselves whether they want to end their lives — a prospect viewed with horror by euthanasia opponents and as a natural evolution by advocates.
In August, the main Dutch doctors' association KNMG urged the Health Ministry to create an independent board to review euthanasia cases for terminally ill people "with no free will," including children, the severely mentally retarded and people left in an irreversible coma after an accident.
The Groningen Protocol, as the hospital's guidelines have come to be known, would create a legal framework for permitting doctors to actively end the life of newborns deemed to be in similar pain from incurable disease or extreme deformities.
The guideline says euthanasia is acceptable when the child's medical team and independent doctors agree the pain cannot be eased and there is no prospect for improvement, and when parents think it's best.
Examples include extremely premature births, where children suffer brain damage from bleeding and convulsions; and diseases where a child could only survive on life support for the rest of its life, such as severe cases of spina bifida and epidermosis bullosa, a rare blistering illness.
The hospital revealed last month it carried out four such mercy killings in 2003, and reported all cases to government prosecutors. There have been no legal proceedings against the hospital or the doctors. |
"mandatory pre-marital screenings for 'genetic diseases of a serious nature' and 'relevant mental disease.' Those who are diagnosed with such diseases are required either to not marry or to agree to 'long term contraceptive measures' or to submit to sterilization."1This goes way beyond determining a baby is an "inconvenience at this point (in a woman's) life"--This just plain determines the life is plain worthless. Every life is precious as it is a gift from God--His perfect creation no matter how imperfect we deem the life to be in terms of frailty. Killing a child inside of the womb is no different than outside. Mercy killing, indeed.
HANOI (AFP) - A large injection of funds and commitment from the international community is needed to prevent the world's critically endangered tiger population from dwindling any further, conservationists warned.
Out of the eight sub-species of tiger that roamed the earth's jungles and forests 60 years ago, the Bali tiger, the Caspian tiger and the Javan tiger are now extinct, while less than 20 South China tigers remain.
"Across its range, this magnificent animal is being poisoned, electrocuted, blown up by land mines, trapped, snared, shot and captured," according to global conservation organization, the WWF.
Tiger populations have plunged from around 100,000 at the turn of the last century to between 5,700 and 7,000 today, most in isolated pockets stretching from India to southeastern China and from the Russian Far East to Indonesia.
But those remaining face a multitude of threats, warned S.C. Dey, secretary-general of the Global Tiger Forum, on the opening day of the New Delhi-headquartered international organization's general assembly in Hanoi.
"Increased human-tiger conflict due to rising human population, shrinkage and degradation of tiger habitat and declining preybase pose a serious threat to the survival of the tiger," he said.
Poaching, a lack of public will to protect the animals and the drive towards modernization in Asia's developing countries compound the problem, Dey added.
The decline of tiger populations last century was primarily the result of culls either because they were viewed as dangerous animals or because hunting them was considered a noble sport by colonial and indigenous elite.
Subsequently, commercial trade of tiger skin and other parts of the cat for alleged medicinal purposes have become a major threat to their existence.
"The majority of these animals are sought to meet the demands of a continuing illegal wildlife trade," according to the WWF.
The Bengal, Sumatran, Indochinese and South China sub-species were placed on the most endangered appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1975. The Siberian tiger was listed in 1987.
Preventing these sub-species from becoming extinct requires "significant financial input", massive public education and awareness campaigns and the concerted, unified efforts of conservationists and governments, Dey said.
Currently, manpower and funds assigned to protect tiger populations were inadequate in many tiger-range countries, while "conservationists are very often branded as anti-development" and face local resentment, he added.
Dey stressed, however, that the world has a duty to protect the cats, who as top predators keep populations of other wild animals in check, thereby maintaining the balance between herbivores and the vegetation upon which they feed.
"The tiger occupies the apex of one such eco-system pyramid and our effort to save the tiger is aimed at deferring ecological disaster," he said.
"Strategies have been broadly worked out. What is required is to refine and implement them, so that the tiger continues as a dynamic asset of nature not only in years to follow, but in centuries and the millenium to come." |
SHAOSHAN, China (AFP) - In Mao Zedong's hometown of Shaoshan, 'long live Chairman Mao' booms from speakers as people tumble out of buses onto a small square, donning caps emblazoned with their tourist group affiliation.
They chatter excitedly as they approach the six metre (19.8 feet) tall bronze statue of the dictator outfitted in thick shoes and double-breasted military coat, before stopping to pose and snap photos in front of the revered revolutionary leader.
Twenty-eight years after his death and despite wide recognition in China that he committed grave errors which caused the deaths of tens of millions of people, Mao is still regarded by many as the country's greatest modern leader.
"I worship him. Most of the people coming here worship him," said Wang Ming, 35, a resident of eastern Nanjing who traveled more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) to Shaoshan in central Hunan province.
"He had a rebellious spirit and he led such a small and tiny army to fight against Kuomintang (the political party driven to Taiwan by the Communists in 1949), and he saved the country and the people."
At a strategically placed flower stand that sits on the small square, tourists line-up to buy bouquets that cost as much as 399 yuan (48 dollars). They place them gently and respectfully at the base of the statue.
Though even state media today continues to remind people that Mao was just a man and not a god, here the admonishment seems to fall on deaf ears.
People pray in front of his statue by bringing their hands together and kowtowing three times -- a ritual that in ancient, feudal China was reserved for the emperor alone.
"I pray that he may give me strength and courage to live a good life," said Zhu He, a visitor from northern Hubei province. |
On any given day Mao's hometown is overrun with more than 4,000 tourists, or about 1.5 million visitors a year. It has become a money spinning attraction that symbolizes one of the great contradictions of the politics of the ruling Communist Party of China.
Mao's vision of an egalitarian, Communist utopia has largely become an anachronism in a country that increasingly defines itself with market capitalist values. |
Where once the Communist Party could justify its self-appointed totalitarian rule over its 1.3 billion people because the historical forces of the proletarian revolution were in its favour, 25 years of market economic reforms has vanquished that mandate. |
HOUSTON - The first trial stemming from the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt was set to begin Monday in federal court, more than 1 1/2 years after 19 illegal immigrants died in a packed, sweltering trailer on a Texas highway.
Victor Jesus Rodriguez, Claudia Carrizales de Villa and Fredy Giovanni Garcia-Tobar each face 58 counts of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants. Each faces up to life in prison if convicted.
[sic]
Prosecutors say the three were part of a smuggling ring that tried to transport more than 70 immigrants from South Texas to Houston in May 2003.
Seventeen of the immigrants from Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic died in the packed, poorly ventilated tractor-trailer, which authorities estimate reached 173 degrees. Two others died later |
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A pod of dolphins circled protectively round a group of New Zealand swimmers to fend off an attack by a great white shark, media reported on Tuesday.
Lifesavers Rob Howes, his 15-year-old daughter Niccy, Karina Cooper and Helen Slade were swimming 300 feet off Ocean Beach near Whangarei on New Zealand's North Island when the dolphins herded them -- apparently to protect them from a shark.
"They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Howes told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).
Howes tried to drift away from the group, but two of the bigger dolphins herded him back just as he spotted a nine-foot great white shark swimming toward the group. |
U.S. troops say they find 'atrocity sites' in Fallujah
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - U.S. troops have found close to 20 "atrocity sites" used by insurgents to imprison, torture and kill hostages in Fallujah, a U.S. military officer said Sunday.
Marine Maj. Jim West said that in addition to numerous weapons caches, troops clearing the city after a major U.S.-led offensive had found rooms containing knives and black hoods, "many of them blood-covered." |
House Condemns Criticism of Boy Scouts
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The House on Saturday commended the Boy Scouts and condemned legal efforts to limit government ties to the group because of its requirement that members believe in God.
A nonbinding resolution, passed by a 391-3 vote, recognized the 3.2 million-member Boy Scouts for its public service efforts. But the main thrust of the debate was what the House Judiciary Committee chairman, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said were the "strident legal attacks" on the group.
The Pentagon agreed last week to tell U.S. military bases around the world not to directly sponsor Boy Scout troops. The warning resulted from legal challenges to government relations with a group that bans openly gay leaders and compels members to swear an oath of duty to God.
The American Civil Liberties Union and others say that direct government sponsorship of such a program amounts to discrimination. (more...)
|
AP) Hundreds of people gathered to see the unveiling of [Tim] Allen's star, the 2,270th on the Walk of Fame. |
Onward Christian Soldier
By WILLIAM LOBDELL
William Lobdell is a Times staff writer who covers religion.
Reprinted from the Los Angeles Times December 8, 2002.
In 1989, Anthony launched his own war on dishonest religious broadcasters, using the skills he learned as an intelligence operative with the U.S. Air Force to ferret out corruption. "I do enjoy the hunt," he says. "But I'd much rather be out of a job."
For now, he and his half-dozen investigators soldier on in a target-rich environment: the unregulated industry of televangelism is estimated to generate at least $1 billion through its roughly 2,000 electronic preachers, including 80 nationally syndicated television pastors. Trinity's forces dig through trash bins, search computer databases and go undercover with hidden cameras. Their victim's hotline turns up informants, victims and new scams. They enlist double agents in their fight. And they provide their research to academics, fellow watchdog groups, government agencies and the media, including The Times. (more...)
|
(AP) BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops sweeping through Fallujah on Thursday said they believe they have found the main headquarters of the insurgent group headed by Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
In video shot by an embedded CNN cameraman, soldiers walked through an imposing building with concrete columns and with a large sign in Arabic on the wall reading "Al Qaida Organization" and "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger."
Inside the building, U.S. soldiers found documents, old computers, notebooks, photographs and copies of the Quran. (more...)
|
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Arlen Specter, a Republican defender of abortion rights, made progress on Tuesday in his embattled bid to head the committee that reviews judicial nominations, party aides said.
Specter emerged from a closed-door meeting with Senate Republican leaders with a smile but no prediction on whether he will become Judiciary Committee chairman -- though a handful of Republican lawmakers have publicly voiced support in recent days and have said they expect him to get it.
"I never count any chickens before they hatch," Specter, 74, of Pennsylvania, said after the meeting in the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican.
|
Billionaire Socialist George Soros and Moveon.org are actually trying to sabotage the 2004 Presidential Election -- after the fact!
And People For The American Way (PFAW), Common Cause and six ultra-liberal members of Congress -- led by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) -- have jumped on the Soros/Moveon.org bandwagon.
These organizations have already generated hundreds of thousands of letters to Congress requesting a General Accounting Office investigation of the vote in Florida, Ohio and New Mexico.
The intent is clear. Following the example of third world Banana Republics, these leftists simply cannot accept the fact that George Bush won the election fair and square and are determined to steal it after the fact.
Can they succeed? I don't know -- but they will continue to do grave damage to this country in the process if we do not take a stand to nip this movement in the bud right now!
Joining Conyers in this fraud on the American public are are U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Robert Wexler (D-FL), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Robert C. Scott (D-VA) and Melvin Watt (D-NC).
Conyers demanded that the GAO "immediately undertake an investigation into the efficacy of voting machines and new technologies used in the 2004 election."
Conyers predicted his election investigation efforts "will probably lead to congressional hearings."
Keep in mind, that after the election we all heard the liberal battle cry of "we must heal the wounds." It should be obvious by now that liberals have no interest in healing the wounds that they themselves inflicted. Rather they seek to deepen the wounds and further divide the country.
We can't let them get away with it.
The media has also joined in. Greg Palast of Harpers Magazine wrote, "I know you don't want to hear it. You can't face one more hung chad. But I don't have a choice. As a journalist examining that messy sausage called American democracy, it's my job to tell you who got the most votes in the deciding states. Tuesday, in Ohio and New Mexico, it was John Kerry"
Palast -- not wanting to be confused by the facts -- is basing this extremely flawed hypothesis on the empirically discredited exit polls conducted on election day that falsely declared Kerry the winning.
Frankly, these folks are nuts!
We've already heard the stories of Kerry supporters seeking psychiatric help after election day.
PFAW sent a letter to supporters that read -- in part -- "PFAW Foundation's Election Protection team is supporting efforts to impound voting machines... in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Mexico."
And the liberal bloggers are rabid. One of their number -- Austin King -- is claiming that there was a secret plot by Karl Rove and the RNC to steal the election and says he would "very much like to see someone put in jail for this..."
Others are claiming that Diebold -- the company that manufactured many of the new voting machines nationwide -- participated in a Republican conspiracy to rig the election.
And still others are claiming that the recent assault on Fallujah is nothing more than an attempt to bump these ludicrous claims from the media.
I know what some of you are thinking. A movement this ludicrous should simply be ignored. But history teaches us that doing nothing would be a big mistake. The movement is already widespread and the press -- foreign and domestic -- is more than willing to give this movement credibility.
It was just this type of divisiveness that spawned the rise of totalitarianism in post World War I Europe, because it went unchecked. And it is just this type of divisiveness that causes political and economic instability in many third world countries today.
If this type of divisiveness goes unchecked, the same could happen here.
At the very least, the stature of the United States will be diminished and we will become so bogged down in division that it will be literally impossible to move forward to effect positive and proactive change.
We must convince Congress to put a stop to this madness and move forward.
|
In the early 90s Muslims comprised between 1 percent and 2 percent of the population in Rwanda. Today that figure is 5 percent, census returns show. The number of mosques has risen to 570 from 220.
"In Uganda, Islam is growing so fast. Every single minute we are getting people converting," Sheik Harun Sengooba of the Union of Muslim Councils for East, Central and Southern Africa, said to Reuters.
In South Africa, Islam is growing among blacks in a country where 80 percent of the 45 million people are Christian.
Currently, less than 2 percent of South Africans, or about 650,000 people, are Muslim. But the semi-autonomous Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) estimates 74,700 Africans are Muslim from fewer than 12,000 in 1991.
Islamic non-governmental groups in Africa, many backed by Gulf oil cash, grew from 138 in 1980 to 891 in 2000, more than twice the rate of increase in the total number of Africa's NGOs in the period.
Along with the growth of Islam, naturally, religious persecution targeting Christians is on the increase as well.
For example, in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, religious violence targeting Christians has killed at least 5,000 since 2000, when 12 northern states predominantly inhabited by Muslims established Islamic Sharia law.
And, in Sudan, since 1983 an estimated 2 million persons have been killed; approximately 4 million have been displaced internally as a result of fighting between the Islamic north and mostly Christian south.
|
"We respect the law of war, unlike our adversary who uses mosques. In almost every single mosque in Fallujah we have found an arms cache, we have found IED factories, we have found fortifications, and we have even found weapons repair facilities. We have been shot at by snipers from minarets, and we've also seen the use of schools for the storage of weapons. This is the enemy that we fight. It does not respect the religious mosques or the children's schools. |
"[John Edwards is] hardly going away. He's positioned himself for a full-out presidential run in 2008, a campaign that in a way he's already begun. [...] That's despite his liabilities: He's leaving the Senate after a single term; he has little foreign policy experience; he couldn't deliver his own state or any other in the South for Kerry, despite boasting that 'I will beat George Bush in my backyard.' But he now has the experience and public exposure of a national campaign. "Well, at least they were kind enough to offer one piece of encouragement. Word on the street is, even Howard "Yeeaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggh!!!!!" Dean may be up for the top spot as the head of the DNC...should Queen Hillary permit it... One piece of advice I can give the Democratic faithful is to first learn to tell the difference between an undesirable outcome of a hardfought and legitimate election and the barbaric killing of 3,000 men, women and children who merely inhabited a building. Perhaps it was/(still is?) just too difficult for them to swallow the reality of a better tomorrow: Dubya didn't just win where he won. He mostly won where he lost, too. Even Dirty Jersey voted strongly for Bush. Travis argues Bush successfully won the "election trifecta" and thus a true mandate from the people. Steve (via Sharon Hughes) got all mathematical and shizzle on me while I wasn't looking. Eric asks Michael Moore when the last time he saw his penis was... while the wonderful Michelle Malkin turns his artful attack into something Moore beautiful. (Is it possible to use the words "beautiful" and "Moore" in the same sentence?) Patrick is poignantly poetic while Liberal Larry leaves us laughing. Arnold reminds us who the losers are .... while fantastic Frank J. reminds us who the real enemy is and always has been... Nick and Pat defend the intelligent faithful... and finally.... ...VIETNAM VETS ARE VINDICATED. Sincerely, Wife, kids, job, and responsibility P.S. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you! You'll be so proud of me... I passed my global test!!! P.P.S. Get ready kids, I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaackkk!!!!!!!! -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 11/3/2004 11:35:37 AM TITLE: Kerry Calls Bush to Concede ----- BODY: I definitely need some time for this to set in... Expect my post later
| GOP charges dirty politics in fake Schwarzkopf campaign call
By DONNA DE LA CRUZ
Associated Press Writer
November 1, 2004, 5:56 PM EST
TRENTON, N.J. -- Lifelong Republican Richard Bonnet pays attention to politics, so when he found a message on his answering machine from Norman Schwarzkopf saying he was voting for John Kerry this year, he was momentarily stunned.
"I thought I saw Bush down in Florida, with Schwarzkopf standing on the stage next to him," Bonnet, 69, of Howell Township, said Monday. "So I called up the Monmouth County Republican headquarters and they said he was a Bush supporter."
On Sunday, the retired general gave Bush a strong endorsement in Tampa, Fla. Schwarzkopf's spokeswoman, Lynn Williams, said Monday that the recorded message was totally fake.
The taped message begins with a man identifying himself as Schwarzkopf.
"In 2000, I voted for George W. Bush, but this year I'm voting for John Kerry." The man goes on to say that Bush took his eye off the ball when it came to finding the people responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed nearly 700 New Jersey residents.
"John Kerry has a real plan to make our military stronger and to go after terrorists wherever they hide," the man says on the tape. "We need a vote for change, vote for John Kerry."
A voice then says the message was paid for by the Democratic National Committee. A call to the DNC was not immediately returned Monday.
Brian Nelson, spokesman for the New Jersey Republican State Committee called the tape dirty politics and said Republicans were trying to find out who was behind it.
Bonnet said he was disgusted by the tape.
"Schwarzkopf is such a great American and a great general, and this defames him," said Bonnet. "He's one of our proud citizens of New Jersey."
Schwarzkopf was born in Trenton. His father, Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, was the head of the New Jersey State Police when Charles Lindbergh's son was kidnapped. He led that investigation.
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press |
The tape of Osama bin Laden that was aired on Al-Jazeera(1) on Friday, October 29th included a specific threat to "each U.S. state," designed to influence the outcome of the upcoming election against George W. Bush. The U.S. media in general mistranslated the words "ay wilaya" (which means "each U.S. state")(2) to mean a "country" or "nation" other than the U.S., while in fact the threat was directed specifically at each individual U.S. state. This suggests some knowledge by bin Laden of the U.S. electoral college system. In a section of his speech in which he harshly criticized George W. Bush, bin Laden stated: "Any U.S. state that does not toy with our security automatically guarantees its own security."
|
"True grit keeps amputees on the run in Army Ten-Miler"
By Sgt. Lorie Jewell
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 26, 2004) They didn't take home any top awards in the Army Ten-Miler, but the performances of service members who lost limbs in Afghanistan and Iraq was, to many, nothing short of heroic.
Army Capt. David Rozelle, who lost part of his right leg below the knee in a June 2003 land mine explosion in Hit, Iraq, spearheaded the effort to put together a team of amputees from Walter Reed Army Medical Center for the Oct. 24 race, a kickoff to the annual Association of the United States Army meeting.
Dubbed the "Missing (Parts) In Action team -- Some Assembly Required“ -- the group included Staff Sgt. Andrew McCaffrey, Sgt. Ethan Payton, Marine Cpl. Dan Lasko, Navy Corpsman Jose Ramos and Airman 1st Class Anthony Pizzifred. Also running on the team was Lt. Col. Barbara Springer, chief of physical therapy; Capt. Matt Sherer, a physical therapist; and Spc. Harvey Naranjo, a certified occupational therapist assistant.
"It's important for people to see amputees recovered and back in action," Rozelle said prior to the race start, adding he had no doubts that each would make it across the finish line. The same steely mettle that helped steer them off the battlefield after suffering horrific injuries will carry them through the 10-mile route, Rozelle said.
"It's guts, nothing but guts. Some may walk, but that's okay. What matters is that they will finish," he said.
Rozelle, who served as team captain, has been relentless in not letting his injury prevent him from being the best Soldier he can be. He commanded a cavalry troop from Fort Carson in Iraq; after a medical board cleared him to remain on active duty earlier this year, he took command of a 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment headquarters troop. He's been alerted that he'll be deployed again to Iraq next year.
An expert skier, Rozelle hit the slopes again in December for a Disabled Sports USA ski clinic. In April, he participated in the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, put on by the Veterans Administration and Disabled American Veterans. With his prosthetic running leg, he completed a June Hope & Possibility 5-Miler in Central Park with several other Soldiers and service members from Walter Reed. And just a couple weeks ago, he finished a marathon -- a one-mile swim, 25 miles on a bike and a six-mile run. He plans on running in the New York City marathon next month.
More than 13,000 runners trekked across the Army Ten-Miler finish line in wet, cold weather. Rozelle predicted a 10-minute mile pace and came in just under that, at one hour, 38 minutes -- not far behind McCaffrey and Payton, both of whom ran without their prosthetic arms. McCaffrey finished in 1:34; Payton, 1:35. Ramos, who also left his prosthetic arm behind, came in with a time of 2:04.
"I finished, that's all I wanted to do," said Ramos, who lost his left hand to a rocket-propelled grenade while patrolling with Marines near Fallujah a couple of months ago.
The race was even tougher for Lasko and Pizzifred, who picked up their running prosthetics two days before the race. With no time to try them out and get any needed adjustments, they ran cold turkey.
Sherer ran with a backpack carrying the pair's prosthetic walking legs, backups in case the running legs caused too much pain. He buddied up with Pizzifred, while Naranjo ran with Lasko.
Naranjo came across the finish line carrying Lasko's prosthetic, yelling encouragement for the last 100 yards or so to Lasko, who pushed himself into a sprint for a 2:18 finish.
Despite some pre-race worries about getting traction on the wet pavement, Lasko said he didn't experience any major problem along the course.
"I was a little sore," he admitted, smiling. The longest distance he had run on a prosthetic before the Ten-Miler was five miles, he added. Like Rozelle, Lasko participated in the Hope & Possibility run in Central Park several months ago.
Naranjo had nothing but praise for his run buddy. The new prosthetic rubbed Lasko in the wrong ways quite a bit through the run, Naranjo said.
"Here's a guy who some months ago was laying in a hospital bed, wondering if he'd ever be able to walk again," Naranjo said. "And look at what he just did. He's my hero. These guys are what make me get up in the morning and do what I have to do. I see people everyday overcoming much greater challenges that I have."
Sherer was equally complimentary about Pizzifred, who started feeling pain from the new prosthetic almost from the start. The pair finished with a time of 2:44.
"It was really impressive to watch them run through the pain," said Sherer. "I'll tell you, it's an honor to be associated with these guys. They've given, and they continue to give."
Sherer and others hope to see the MPIA team continue to revisit the Ten-Miler in the years to come. He just hopes future teams will be filled with alumni and short on newly- injured Soldiers. |
The other day, my nine-year-old son wanted to know why we were at war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.
My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window. He said, "Son, stand there and tell me what you see?"
"I see trees and cars and our neighbors' houses," he replied.
"OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."
Our son giggled and said, "OK."
"Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country," my husband said.
"OK Dad, I'm pretending."
"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend you see Saddam come out of his house with his wife, he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death.
Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are screaming and crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father. You see all of this son....what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What would you do son?"
"I'd call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations and they take your call, listen to what you know and saw, but they refuse to help. What do you do then son?"
"Dad...but the police are supposed to help!" My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that we should all stay out of it," my husband says.
"But Dad...he killed her!" my son exclaims.
"I know he did...but the police tell you to stay out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his own children."
"Daddy...he kills them?"
"Yes son, he does. What do you do?"
"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him," our son says.
"Son, your next door neighbor sees what is happening, but he refuses to get involved as well. He'll not help you," my husband says.
"But Dad, I NEED help! I can't stop him by myself!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?" Our son starts to cry.
"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?"
"What Daddy?"
"Watching you in the window, he walks over to the old lady's house, breaks down her door and drags her out. He sets her house on fire and then he...he kills her. He does this while he laughs at you and her. WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"Daddy..."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?"
Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I'd close the blinds, Daddy."
My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him..."Why?"
"Because Daddy.....the police are supposed to help people who needs them...and they won't help.... You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either...they won't help me stop him...I'm afraid....I can't do it by myself Daddy.....I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and... and..... do nothing...so....I'm just going to close the blinds.... so I can't see what he's doing........and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening."
I start to cry. My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husband's questions and he says..."Son."
"Yes, Daddy."
"Open the blinds, son, because that evil man.... now he's at our front door..."WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW?"
My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: "I'LL DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, and says... "It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife, and his children and the old lady across the way. You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before it's too late," my husband whispers.
|
Does the bin Laden tape signal an approaching end game? Bin Laden can't prevail against "the Chicago way."
Police Officer Jim Malone to Eliot Ness: "If Capone comes at you with a knife, you go after him with a gun. If he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way! And that's how you get Capone!" |
Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling made a surprise appearance Monday morning with President Bush, limping to the stage to give Bush a strong endorsement.
The ace pitcher said Bush was a commander in chief who will ensure troops "have everything they need to get the job done, a leader who believes in their mission and honors their service, a leader who has the courage and the character to stay on the offense against terrorism until the war is won."
Bush stood next to him, and they embraced afterward.
"On Tuesday, we need you to get out and vote. We need you to get your friends and neighbors out to vote - tell them you're voting for President Bush and get them on board, too," Schilling said. "I know everybody wants to be on a winning team, and there's plenty of room on this bandwagon." |
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has informed the NAACP that it is investigating whether the civil rights organization improperly "intervened in a political campaign" when it posted on its website a speech by Chairman Julian Bond that condemned the Bush administration's policies.Shweeeeeeet... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/30/2004 10:57:12 AM TITLE: Dan Rather was... ----- BODY:
...ROCKED BY RAPE.
(mp3...may take a moment to load)Kerry said he has supported stadiums that are funded by taxpayers. "I want to make certain that when you do that again, these other kinds of things are balanced," he said. "The minute you get the public piece in there, then you have a right to demand some sort of public accountability. And the sports people can't have it both ways in my judgment. You can't have the public support a completely private enterprise ... that's where the standards and the fans protection become much more paramount."Wow. Spoken like a man who has NO IDEA WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT and probably has never graced the SportsWorld with his presence except for that unfortunate p.r. driven instance where he turned to the blue-collar schmoe who cut in line in front of him at the concession stand and said, "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/28/2004 12:08:39 AM TITLE: This. Was. All. Worth. It. ----- BODY:
A group of talk-radio listeners in Montana burned a United Nations flag to protest a ceremony at the state's Capitol honoring the global body.
On Friday, KGEZ radio host John Stokes in Kalispell, Mont., got wind of a planned ceremony that afternoon at the state Capitol in Helena to honor the U.N. on United Nations Day (though Sunday was actually U.N. Day). Stokes tells WorldNetDaily the ceremony included members of the Montana National Guard carrying and presenting a U.N. flag that was to be hoisted over the building.
"Needless to say, our listeners and I became immediately outraged," Stokes said. "It was suggested by a listener to demonstrate our outrage. A call to patriots went out over the air."
At 1 p.m., the time the Capitol ceremony was to take place, over 30 protesters gathered at Stokes' radio station for the flag burning. Stokes says the crowd included mothers, children, seniors and handicapped citizens.
"We began with the Star Spangled Banner blaring across the airways, saluting the U.S. flag flying high above the station, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a very appropriate prayer for our nation, our Constitution and the Republic," Stokes explained.
"Then the volunteers provided the pole and gas, and I provided the despicable U.N. flag."
The crowd shouted out a verbal countdown before the flag was torched.
Said Stokes: "Whoosh. It was completely gone in seconds. I hope it was an omen."
|
AP: [...] Bush won Colorado big in 2000, by 51 percent to Al Gore's 42 percent. But a weak economy, the state's growing Hispanic population and a competitive Senate race gave Kerry reason to give it another look.I know I know I know. It's referring to immigration policy (or lack thereof) but still. It just struck me as funny because I read it like this:
"Wetbacks stealing the construction jobs you'd never take but wanted to be available to you just in case? Don't like rice and beans? Teenage pregnancy rate up in your local highschools? - VOTE KERRY"Ah, cómo mi imaginación trabaja... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/24/2004 01:53:03 PM TITLE: This will remain seared into your memory... ----- BODY: Note: Movie with sound, therefore prolly not worksafe.
"Politics has become so pervasive that the Higher Education Ministry has posted signs on all campuses that tell students their rights. Among them: 'The freedom of opinion expression is a guaranteed right to the entire academic society, under the rule that this does not interfere with a student's education.'" [...] Let messy, sometimes angry, sometimes too loud Freedom reign!Amen, sista. You Iraqis get on wit yo bad democratic selves, yo. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/22/2004 02:34:10 PM TITLE: School District Bans Halloween out of respect for...WITCHES ----- BODY: Eric beat me to this story by 3 hours and 46 mins. Punk.
"We really want to make sure we're using all of our time in the best interest of our students," explained Puyallup School District spokesperson Karen Hansen. Hansen says the superintendent made the decision for three primary reasons. First, Halloween parties and parades waste valuable classroom time. In addition some families can't afford costumes. It's the third reason some Puyallup parents are struggling with. The district says Halloween celebrations and children dressed in Halloween costumes might be offensive to real witches.Eric: "All one of them." -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/22/2004 02:27:47 PM TITLE: Remember that toy you didn't get for Christmas? ----- BODY: It was because of Halliburton. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/22/2004 01:59:33 PM TITLE: "Homeland Security stiffing agents on foreign-language pay, leaked email shows" ----- BODY: "...we better hope the terrorists don't speak a foreign language." - Bill Conroy -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/22/2004 01:27:22 AM TITLE: AAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHKERRY ----- BODY: John Kerry during the second presidential debate on October 8th:
"...I can't take what is an article of faith for me and legislate it for someone who doesn't share that article of faith, whether they be agnostic, atheist, Jew, Protestant, whatever. I can't do that."John Kerry last Saturday, pandering to social conservatives in Xenia, Ohio:
"I will bring my faith with me to the White House and it will guide me,"No. Freakin. Way. That's just unbelievable. The guy will say ANYTHING! ANYTHING I tell you! And it's not just the simple fact he contradicts himself every other day, but it really really crosses the line when he takes something so sacred and personal as faith and blatantly and unabashedly uses it for his own political misdeeds! Proppage: Blogs4Bush
"Critics of the U.N. complain that it's an organization without the muscle and will to put its decisions into effect," a U.N. source told UPI. "There's a good chance that Clinton could significantly change that situation,"Right on! The president who effectively emascualted our military, managed to engage in a "justified" war in Kosovo merely because he was a Democrat, and treated the Bin Ladin threat like a legal issue (or merely a "nuisance", in Kerryspeak)? Yea! scared ya, didn't i? sorry... UPDATE: Check out Aaron's post on this subject titled "Move the UN from US soil: Clinton Aspires to Succeed Kofi" and scroll down to the section: "Clinton Diddled - UN Fiddled" Good stuff, indeed. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/22/2004 12:40:09 AM TITLE: Classy First Lady... ----- BODY: ...example 462. There's just no denying it...Laura Bush is just the epitome of class. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/21/2004 12:48:37 AM TITLE: Words can't express... ----- BODY:
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you the question about--this is going to cause some trouble with people--but as an historian now and studying the Revolutionary War as it was fought out in the South in those last years of the War, insurgency against a powerful British force, do you see any parallels between the fighting that we did on our side and the fighting that is going on in Iraq today? CARTER: Well, one parallel is that the Revolutionary War, more than any other war up until recently, has been the most bloody war we've fought. I think another parallel is that in some ways the Revolutionary War could have been avoided. It was an unnecessary war.Du wha wha? ::head spins:: Dude. Seriously. Lay off the crack. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/20/2004 02:07:13 AM TITLE: Psst...Tell ya a lil' secret... Johnny Cash owns. ----- BODY:
See Johnny pimp. See Johnny primp. Go Johnny! Go! 
Soldiers like Perez make me truly proud to be an American.
--------
AUTHOR:
DATE: 10/16/2004 10:00:17 PM
TITLE: Bin Laden and Saddam shared same bed
-----
BODY:
...intimate details can be found here.
Mad Proppage: Linda
Told you so: JohnKerry
--------
AUTHOR:
DATE: 10/16/2004 06:31:21 PM
TITLE: Brrrrr.......
-----
BODY:
Does anyone else feel a draft in here? (scroll down to middle of page)Engage 200,000 Americans A Year In "Service For College" John Kerry and John Edwards will offer a simple deal to hundreds of thousands of America's young people: if you will serve for two years in one of America's toughest and most important jobs, we will cover four years of tuition at a typical public university. On September 11th, 2001, America experienced the most terrible and deadly attack in its history. John Kerry believes we need to think big and do better and get more young Americans serving the nation. As part of his 100 day plan to change America, John Kerry will propose a comprehensive service plan that includes requiring mandatory service for high school students and four years of college tuition in exchange for two years of national service.I can just see the headlines now...
the rich, the wealthy = you e.g. "We’ll fund things by taxing the rich." progressive (n.) = shrill left-wing nut e.g. "Michael Moore is a prominent progressive."Now you too can properly converse with a liberal! Or at least attempt to... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/13/2004 03:15:55 PM TITLE: ----- BODY:
MIAMI: With just three Sundays left before Election Day, Sen. John Kerry is asking for all the help he can get from black voters and the Almighty. The Democratic presidential nominee attended two church services Sunday, instead of his usual one, worshipping first with Haitian Catholics and then with black Baptists, where the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton tied his election to the civil rights struggle. "We have an unfinished march in this nation," Kerry said at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, as many congregants waved fans handed out by the campaign with his slogan, "Hope is on the way."
Last time I checked, HOPE was found in Christ, who should have been the focal point of your worship that Sunday, not John Forbes Khrist.
Meanwhile...the ACLU, Americans United for Sep. of Church and State and other church-state separation watchdog groups are nowhere to be found....
I mean, c'mon, you don't even have to infiltrate small-town churches and sit through their entire sermons to isolate anything that can even be slightly construed to be "political" or "right-wing."
Plain as day, in print and on-line,
"I see disturbing signs today that some of our churches have been confused by wolves in sheep's' clothing," [Jesse] Jackson said. "How did someone else put their agenda in the front of the line?"Was that a slip up? "How did SOMEBODY ELSE get in the way of our goal of dumbing down the black masses and keep them perpetually sucking on the proverbial Democratic teat?"
"November 2, the power is in your hands, hands that once picked cotton," Jackson said.Wow. Former slaves are still alive today? So that's why they believe so strongly reparations are still relevant...
Speakers avoided criticizing President Bush by name, since they were in church, but he was indirectly vilified. Former Rep. Carrie Meek said Kerry is "fighting against liars and demons. ... He challenges the man who walks with a jaunty step." She rocked her hips in an imitation of Bush's swagger as the congregation cheered and Kerry laughed from his high-backed seat behind the pulpit.Rep. Meek must have been reading from the book of Revelation in the DNC's Doomsday translation. Satan would be pleased. UPDATE: (10-13-04) - IRS Asked To Probe Kerry Appearance At Church Notice the paper's quick change of focus from Kerry's visit to a church to the efforts of the Christian Coalition... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/11/2004 01:01:29 PM TITLE: The Zeropean Worldview ----- BODY: "When you look out at the world from Vienna or Stockholm or Manchester and search for something to deplore, what do you see? You see Russia spiraling down into dictatorship after a brief interlude of struggling democracy. You see North Korea, arms salesman to the world's criminals, boasting of nuclear capability. You see genocide in Darfur. And of course, you see the ghastly face of terrorism in Madrid, Bali, New York, Washington, Tel Aviv and most especially Baghdad, where terrorists grab and behead innocent Americans and Europeans, and proudly videotape their savagery. But where do many Europeans focus their wrath? On the United States. ... There is something sickly about the European approach to the world." --Mona Charen -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/9/2004 08:05:52 PM TITLE: "I said Saddam Hussein was a threat, BEFORE I said he was not..." ----- BODY: Kerry kan't even keep his story straight for one night...
"Well, let me tell you straight up: I've never changed my mind about Iraq. I do believe Saddam Hussein was a threat. I always believed he was a threat. Believed it in 1998 when Clinton was president. I wanted to give Clinton the power to use force if necessary."Later on, while answering a question regarding Iran…
"I don't think you can just rely on U.N. sanctions, Randee. But you're absolutely correct, it is a threat, it's a huge threat. "And what's interesting is, it's a threat that has grown while the president has been preoccupied with Iraq, where there wasn't a threat."
"Which is it!?!??!?!"
"I have a plan. I have a plan to lower the cost of health care for you. I have a plan to cover all children. I have a plan to let you buy into the same health care senators and congressmen give themselves. I have a plan that's going to allow people 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare early. And I have a plan that will take the catastrophic cases out of the system, off your backs, pay for it out of a federal fund, which lowers the premiums for everybody in America, makes American business more competitive and makes health care more affordable. Now, all of that can happen, but I have to ask you to do one thing: Join me in rolling back the president's unaffordable tax cut for people earning more than $200,000 a year. That's all. Ninety-eight percent of America, I'm giving you a tax cut and I'm giving you health care.""pay for it out of a federal fund, which lowers the premiums for everybody in America..." In other words, Kerry wants to implement his own version of HillaryCare. Talk about taking a big chunk out of Hillary's 2008 platform... Bush's response says it best,
"And finally, he said he's going to have a novel health care plan. You know what it is? The federal government is going to run it. It's the largest increase in federal government health care ever. And it fits with his philosophy. That's why I told you about the award he won from the National Journal. That's what liberals do. They create government-sponsored health care. Maybe you think that makes sense. I don't. Government-sponsored health care would lead to rationing. It would ruin the quality of health care in America."Kerry responded by telling Americans where they can stick it if they don't like his "plan,":
"Let me begin by saying that my health-care plan is not what the president described. It is not a government takeover. You have choice. Choose your doctor, choose your plan. The government has nothing to do with it. In fact, it doesn't ask you to do anything -- if you don't want to take it, you don't have to. If you like your high premiums, you keep them. That's the way we leave it."I'd sure like to know where he's going to get the revenue to pay for this "federal fund"... Hopefully, once he figures out how to work out the budget in order to allocate the funding, he'll put it in a lockbox--just to be safe. ( I know. I know. I suck at photoediting. I can't afford Photoshop nor will I pirate it. I wouldn't know how to do a thing with it anyway. But hey, it's not bad for my first MS PAINT edit.) -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/8/2004 03:25:25 PM TITLE: Jonah Goldberg is... ----- BODY:
[This site] was built because we Democrats are a strong multi-religious group. We regularly do the difficult work of finding common ground for our public policy rather than succumbing to the quick and easy “one faith fits all” legislation of today's leadership. We are a beautiful multicolored, multi-faith people. Let us then rejoice and be proud of the ability to find oneness in our diversity! (the hilarity continues...)Apparently, liberal faiths which permit homosexuality and the such are included in this "diversity" mix... Pray for Kerry-Edwards? Indeed. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 10/7/2004 08:09:41 PM TITLE: ----- BODY:
KOALA bears are to be implanted with contraceptives to keep their numbers down and stop them munching the landscape bare at an Australian national park.The Vatican, a longtime opponent of contraceptive methods, is silent on this one. The Australian Catholic Church is as well.
Around 2000 of the marsupials at the park in Victoria will be given a slow-release hormone which prevents conception for up to six years.
The notoriously fussy eaters survive on a diet of leaves from a small number of eucalyptus tree species.
Conservationists warn that koalas are in danger of dying out along Australia's east coast, as urban sprawl destroys their habitat.
But their population has exploded on Kangaroo Island, and some environmentalists have urged officials to shoot hundreds of the animals there because they are chewing their way through the island's foliage.
Doug's post from over two weeks ago perfectly summarizes the stupidity of the Kerry-Edwards approach to dealing with Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Surprisingly, as you may note from Doug's post on Edwards' explanation of their plan, Kerry has actually remained consistent on an issue for longer than 2 weeks now (as demonstrated during last night's debate).
Consistently stupid.
But consistent nonetheless.
--------
AUTHOR:
DATE: 9/30/2004 11:34:36 PM
TITLE: A Film for Heroes - 1
-----
BODY:
I need to reconcile the love of Christ that dwells in my heart, with the experiences and intellectual/spiritual differences with Catholicism I hold in my mind.I have only recently become a Christian (this past December, to be exact) although I have been raised with a Christian principled upbringing by my faithful mother. My youth (both in biological years, and in terms of my Christian maturity) can at least partly be to blame for un-Christlike commentary of my last two posts (I have deleted them, for obvious reasons, though you can find the object of my shame at Eric's blog. Traffic to his site is but an added component to my apology.) My sometimes tongue-in-cheek, more often times vicious satirical and sarcastic styles of humor have certainly gotten the best of me over the years. These last two posts are no exception. I will not delve deeply into my theological differences with Catholics. However, I will partially explain where the motivation for the jabs at the pope originated. Eric recently commented on his respect for a man ("John Paul II") who survived Nazism, Communism, an assasination attempt and countless other notable instances. I, too, admire Karol Jozef Wojtyla for his perserverance of spirit and integrity. However, I refuse to bestow any higher degree of admiration or respect for Wojtyla other than that which is reserved for a fellow man. The same goes for the woman known as "Mother Teresa," who has been beatified and is en route to becoming a canonized "saint." Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was nothing more than a daughter of Christ, a saint before she was ever declared so by any "papal authority." These are perhaps, definitive elements of Post-Reformation Christianity. The Reformation was "in part a rejection of the cultic veneration of saints," as explained by Steven Gertz. They are merely those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, declared righteous by God. The Word of God is infallible, not any man on Earth who proclaims himself to be so. While I will always have my strong and unshakable theological differences with Catholics, I hereby apologize for my arrogant, insensitive and un-Christlike commentary of late.
"[...] when I see a member of my team basically telling me that the denomination I voluntarily chose at the age of 14 (I was raised Methodist) is being headed by Satan, who gives Hitler salutes and shits his pants, well, I felt the need to respond. Are there problems in the Catholic Church? Of course, and there are people within it trying to stave off the creeping Liberalism that is desperatly trying to sap the strength of all Christianity. Lutherans are coming out in favor of Islamofascism, Methodists are performing marriage ceremonies for homosexual couples, and Episcopalians (president and CEO, the Queen of England) are ordaining openly homosexual clergy. I'm tired of my faith, Catholicism in particular, and Christianity as a whole, being ridiculed by Hollywood assholes who funnel millions into "religions" such as Scientology (Travolta, Cruise), and Kabbalah (the inappropriately named Madonna, et.al.), while Christians are being oppressed from China to Morrocco. The real enemy is out there, in Damascus, Tehran, Cairo, Falluja, Beijing, and Pyongyang. You can, however, keep your head while visiting Vatican City. Focus, my friend, focus."Focus I will indeed. James 2:8. Our post-9/11 reality has renewed the meaning of the term, "spiritual warfare." The battle between good and evil has introduced a long-standing foe of whom which many of us have only recently become acquainted with--Islamo-fascism. Religion of peace, indeed. God doesn't command Christians to behead "infidels" (non-believers) in His name. He commands us to love them. I am as skeptical and wary of man-advocated doctrines as the next guy, be they from John Calvin or the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council (Vatican II). But I do know the one thing we have in common--the Lord Jesus Christ. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/28/2004 02:59:18 PM TITLE: "...we were duped into following yet another privileged agenda." ----- BODY: I won't let this ruin the wonderful status Texas holds in my heart as the best state in the Union (next to my beloved Dullawhere of course!) There's been a serious lack of me donating my 2 Lincolns, lately. Truth is, I'm just having too much fun running around my house in my cape lately instead of blogging.
Shame on me!Smith says he knows most of Crawford's residents are Bush supporters. "If we lose subscriptions we lose them, if they put us under they put us under," Smith said. "But sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe is right."Guess what kids? It's math time! (Well, it's going to get as mathy as kyer can handle) Let's see...a town of 425 citizens... + one newspaper... + the majority of the townsfolk being Bushies... + Smith realizing this...yet not registering it completely that his paper just might fold = stupid! That's kyer math for you. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/27/2004 12:13:54 AM TITLE: I'm front...er..back...er.. "I have returned" ----- BODY: Ever notice how quite a few blogs seem to "shut down" for the most part on the weekends? No? Well I have. It's funny, because I publish more posts during the busy week, than I do on the lazy weekends. Go fig. This weekend's excuse: - Saturday: Ash and I spent the day in D.C. visiting the recently completed (finally!) WWII memorial and also the Korean War memorial too. - Sunday: It's chizurch in the morning and football all afternoon. News/blogging/life gets put on hold on Sundays. Eric, totally understands this. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/24/2004 01:14:00 AM TITLE: "Can any true sports fan believe this man?" ----- BODY:
WASHINGTON - The House passed legislation Thursday that would prevent the Supreme Court from ruling on whether the words "under God" should be stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance. In a politically and emotionally charged debate, Democrats said majority Republicans in the chamber were debasing the Constitution in order to force a vote that could hurt Democrats in the election. Supporters insisted that Congress has always had authority to limit federal court jurisdiction, and the legislation is needed to protect an affirmation of religion that is part of the national heritage. (more...)Bravo. And as for the Democrats crying the publicity from this bill would hurt them in the election, all I have to say is, "waaaaaaaaaaaah!" It is issues like these that truly distinguish the Reps from the Dumms, so don't complain because Congressman Akin introduced legislation that reveals your true colors. I bet every Democrat in the House gritted their teeth as they voted "Yea" for this bill as the remembered citizens like lil' ol' me can look up their vote on the Congressional roll call. Rats! -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/23/2004 02:43:14 PM TITLE: Duct tape: The fixer of all things broken ----- BODY:
DUNLAP, Ind. (AP) - An outraged father of a seventh-grader says an assistant principal duct-taped his son's pants to keep them from sagging then sent him back to class.I wish I had seen this first. As a father, Eric has this one covered.
National Geographic: Ark expedition was probably about publicity, not archaeology Daniel McGivern's $900,000 effort to investigate a Mount Ararat structure he's "90 percent sure" is Noah's Ark never happened, National Geographic News reports. But the news service says McGivern may have known that the Turkish government wouldn't allow them to climb the mountain due to security restrictions. "McGivern may have been more interested in generating publicity than mounting a serious search, critics now suggest," writes Stefan Lovgren. "By making an early announcement, he may have tried to persuade the Turkish government into granting him a permit. Few expeditions have actually obtained clearance to climb Mount Ararat, which is located in a military zone. The choice of expedition leader—a Turkish academic named Ahmet Ali Arslan, who claims to have climbed Mount Ararat 50 times in 40 years—also raised a red flag with those familiar with previous expeditions." Sources told Christianity Today earlier this year that Arslan would be a boon to the expedition and would help the team get the necessary permits. "The government of Turkey did not issue a research visa, which is sad, but it's their country," McGivern told the conservative news site WorldNetDaily for an August article. "We haven't totally given up, but it's pretty obvious they're not going to give us one." But earlier this month, McGivern told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that he has given up and won't try to put another expedition together. "This was the year," he said. "I don't have Ark fever like many who go year after year. … A good businessman calculates what amount of money and time he will invest and has to know when to walk away. Of course, Noah's Ark is totally different, way beyond business for me. Christians, Jews, and Muslims believe in it. It will confirm the faith of millions … and many will be brought to faith. It will change how scientists look at the world."To me, McGivern's motivation, perhaps being the confirmation of or bringing to faith of millions of people the world over, is terribly misguided. It seems McGivern misunderstands the true meaning of faith. Do we need to ever unearth the ruins of Noah's ark (if they even still exist) to justify our Christian faith to the world? Absolutely not. We do not need signs or physical evidence of any sort to prove the legitmacy of the Lord's sovereignty... Those who place their faith in the Lord, already have all the evidence they need in life--His creation as is...and the acknowledgement of the everyday effects of His grace in our lives. By the way, there are quite a few scientists of faith out there who do not require the discovery of an ancient vessel. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/22/2004 10:44:42 PM TITLE: INOP (In need of prayer): HAITI ----- BODY:
Government workers and U.N. peacekeepers were burying the dead in mass graves to prevent the spread of disease. Truckloads of bodies in plastic bags were delivered for burial at the Bois Marchand cemetery near Gonaives and police were called in to calm neighbors who angrily protested the mass burials, Cantave said. [...] Devastating floods and mudslides in May, in which about 2,000 people died, further aggravated the humanitarian disaster facing the county. Haiti is chronically vulnerable to flooding because of widespread deforestation caused by Haitians digging up roots to make charcoal for cooking.
[...T]he number of people reported missing since Tropical Storm Jeanne lashed the islands with torrential rains for 30 hours over the weekend was up to 1,250. Some bodies washed out to sea at Gonaives, dozens remained in still-high waters or floating in flooded houses in the city, he said, indicating that the toll could reach as high as 2,000.For those of you are are unfamiliar with Haiti's situation--Haiti is the the most impoverished nation in the Western hemisphere. Nearly 2,000 people died just a few months ago in May due to devastating mudslides and floods. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/21/2004 01:31:25 AM TITLE: ----- BODY:
"The Italian businessman at the centre of a furious row between France and Italy over whose intelligence service was to blame for bogus documents suggesting Saddam Hussein was seeking to buy material for nuclear bombs has admitted that he was in the pay of France. His admission to investigating magistrates in Rome on Friday apparently confirms suggestions that - by commissioning "Giacomo" to procure and circulate documents - France was responsible for some of the information later used by Britain and the United States to promote the case for war with Iraq. Italian diplomats have claimed that, by disseminating bogus documents stating that Iraq was trying to buy low-grade "yellowcake" uranium from Niger, France was trying to "set up" Britain and America in the hope that when the mistake was revealed it would undermine the case for war, which it wanted to prevent. However, he reportedly also added that he had believed that the documents in question were genuine, and to have never suspected that they had been forged. "Martino has clarified his position and offered to deliver to the magistrates the documents which confirm his declarations," his lawyer, Giuseppe Placidi, told Ansa."Well, at least we know Rather hasn't covered this story...yet.
"'After being exposed in the international press, French intelligence can hardly be amused or happy with him,' one western diplomat said. 'Martino may have thought the safest thing was to hand himself over to the Italians.' Investigators in Rome suspect that Mr Martino was first engaged by the French secret services five years ago, when he was asked to investigate rumours of illicit trafficking in uranium from Niger. He is thought to have then been retained the following year to collect more information. It was then that he is suspected of having assembled a dossier containing both real and bogus documents from Niger, the latter apparently forged by a diplomat. In September 2002 Tony Blair accused Saddam of seeking "significant quantities" of uranium from an undisclosed African country - in fact, Niger. US President George W Bush made a similar claim in his State of the Union address to Congress four months later, using information supplied by MI6."Boy I hope this story continues to unfold as is... (more...) p.s. Posts have sucked lately due to lack of time/energy/ and.... yea. energy. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/18/2004 02:04:11 AM TITLE: El Qaida en Mexico... ----- BODY: From WorldNetDaily:
Al-Qaida plans to use Mexico as a key infiltration route for sending operatives into the United States, according to a Mexican newspaper. Mexican intelligence agencies have identified at least two routes for al-Qaida infiltration, the Proceso newspaper reported last week. The infiltration plan calls for terrorists to depart South Africa for London and then take a non-stop flight to Mexico or a Central American nation and from there use migrant smuggling routes to reach northern Mexico and the United States.And to think there is a hiring freeze right now with the U.S. Border Patrol...
As a result of budget woes, officials say DHS decided to freeze hiring at two of its bureaus: CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, which is responsible for detaining and deporting illegal immigrants. [...] Worse, DHS is planning to release thousands of jailed illegal immigrants to save money. It spends about $550 million a year to hold the estimated 24,000 detainees around the country.On a slightly relevant note, make sure to check out yesterday's post, Illegals Set Sail... for more information about the (in)security of our southern border.... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/18/2004 01:34:29 AM TITLE: Vote Khatami for U.N. Secretary General! ----- BODY:
"It's fair to estimate, based on a TIME investigation, that the number of illegal aliens flooding into the U.S. this year will total 3 million-enough to fill 22,000 Boeing 737-700 airliners, or 60 flights every day for a year. It will be the largest wave since 2001 and roughly triple the number of immigrants who will come to the U.S. by legal means. (No one knows how many illegals are living in the U.S., but estimates run as high as 15 million.) Who are these new arrivals? While the vast majority are Mexicans, a small but sharply growing number come from other countries, including those with large populations hostile to the U.S. From Oct. 1 of last year until Aug. 25, along the southwest border, the border patrol estimates that it apprehended 55,890 people who fall into the category described officially as other than Mexicans, or OTMs. With five weeks remaining in the fiscal year, the number is nearly double the 28,048 apprehended in all of 2002. But that's just how many were caught. TIME estimates, based on longtime government formulas for calculating how many elude capture, that as many as 190,000 illegals from countries other than Mexico have melted into the U.S. population so far this year. The border patrol, which is run by the Department of Homeland Security, refuses to break down OTMs by country. But local law officers, ranchers and others who confront the issue daily tell TIME they have encountered not only a wide variety of Latin Americans (from Guatemala, El Salvador, Brazil, Nicaragua and Venezuela) but also intruders from Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Russia and China as well as Egypt, Iran and Iraq."How the heck are Bulgarians and Egyptians blending in while crossing from Mexico?
"The border patrol, by nature an earnest and hard-working corps,is no match for the onslaught. From last October through Aug. 25, it apprehended nearly 1.1 million illegals in all its operations around the U.S. But for every person it picks up, at least three make it into the country safely."John Ladd Jr., a rancher, supports the dedicated efforts of the border-patrol agents, "[the border patrol agents] are responsible guys in a hypocritical bureaucracy." Note: "The United States Border Patrol is the thin green line of men and women who protect America's borders. They struggle to do their job with fewer resources than any similar service in the world. They guard the 6,000 miles of our border with one tenth as many people as are in the New York City police department."-usborderpatrol.com
"On the Mexican side of the border, President Vicente Fox has actively encouraged the migration. He made his goal clear in 2000 when he called for a fully open border within 10 years, with "a free flow of people, workers" moving between the two countries. When U.S. opposition to the proposal intensified after 9/11, Fox sought the same goal through the back door. He pushed U.S. businesses and city and state governments to accept as legal identification a card called a matricula consular, issued by Mexican consulates. That has allowed illegals to secure driver's licenses and other forms of identification and open bank accounts. Earlier this year Fox pushed U.S. bankers to make it easier for Mexicans working here-some of them legally but most illegally-to ship U.S. dollars back home. Because of the exploding illegal population, the money sent back represents the third largest source of revenue in Mexico's economy, trailing only oil and manufacturing. That figure reached a record $13 billion last year."
"So what does the failed immigration system mean for ordinary people? Just ask Sister Helen Lynn Chaska. Actually, you can't. You will have to ask her family and friends. It's the waning days of summer in 2002 in Klamath Falls, Ore., a city of about 19,000 on the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountains. Two nuns who belonged to the Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Bellevue, Wash., had made one of their periodic trips to Klamath Falls to carry out missionary work. As they had in the past, Sister Helena Maria (her church name), 53, and Sister Mary Louise, 52, checked into a Best Western motel. On Saturday, Aug. 31, they spent the evening proselytizing and selling religious items outside an Albertsons supermarket. After returning to the motel, the two set out on their ritual prayer walk shortly after midnight. They were dressed in the blue habits they always wore as they walked on a darkened bike path behind the motel, reciting their rosaries. As they reached the midway point in their prayers and turned back toward the motel, they heard a bicycle coming up behind them. A Hispanic male in his 30s or 40s got off, grabbed both women and began kissing them. The more they resisted, the angrier he became. He finally punched Sister Mary Louise in the right eye so hard that she fell and hit her head on a rock, leaving her dazed. While holding Sister Helena Maria so tightly by the rosary knotted around her neck that she gasped for breath, he raped her first and then raped and sodomized Sister Mary Louise and raped Sister Helena Maria a second time. The man pulled the veil over Sister Mary Louise, told her not to move or he would kill her, climbed back on his MTB Super Crown bike and pedaled off. Sister Helena Maria was dead. The rosary had been wound so tightly, its marks were embedded in her neck. Later that day, police tracked a suspect to another motel, where they began questioning him. He gave his name as Jesus Franco Flores, which turned out to be one of many names he used. In the end, he confessed to beating and raping both nuns. He was not supposed to be in the U.S.; he had been deported at least three times."
"If the picture of little 3-year-old Sophia Parlock crying after some Kerry-Edwards supporters tore up her Bush-Cheney poster got to you, well, you weren't the only one. President Bush and even first pup Barney were dismayed too, we hear. It happened at a West Virginia rally last week for Democratic running mate Sen. John Edwards, to which Phil Parlock brought his daughter. After seeing the picture of the tearful Sophia on her dad's shoulders, aides said the president was sending her a little note Friday along with a signed campaign poster and an autographed photo of the prez and his dog. "Dear Sophia," Bush penned, "Thank you for supporting my campaign. I understand someone tore up your sign. So I am sending you a new sign and a signed picture. Please give my best to your family. Sincerely, George W. Bush." And on the picture, he inked: "To Sophia, Best wishes from me and Barney." Phil Parlock tells us it really wasn't necessary. "He already said 'Thank you' when he hugged her" at a previous Bush rally they attended, he says. "She bragged for days."Compassionate conservatism at its best, eh? -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/16/2004 08:03:58 PM TITLE: U.N.American ----- BODY:
"I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time - without U.N. approval and much broader support from the international community," At the time, Annan had underlined the lack of legitimacy for a war without U.N. approval, saying: "If the United States and others were to go outside the Security Council and take unilateral action they would not be in conformity with the charter." Annan told the BBC. On Wednesday, after being asked three times whether the lack of council approval meant the war was illegal, Annan said: "From our point of view and the [U.N.] charter point of view, it was illegal.""broader support" meaning...France and Germany?
-Spc. Michael G. New, U.S. ArmyNoted constitutional scholar Herb Titus has thoroughly researched the United Nations and its purported "authority." Titus explains that the UN Charter is not a treaty at all, but rather a blueprint for supranational government that directly violates the Constitution. As such, the Charter is neither politically nor legally binding upon the American people or government. The UN has no authority to make "laws" that bind American citizens, because it does not derive its powers from the consent of the American people. We need to stop speaking of UN resolutions and edicts as if they represented legitimate laws or treaties. They do not.(more...!) God bless you, Congressman Paul!!!
SANTANDER DE QUILICHAO, Colombia - More than 35,000 Colombian Indians marched in a violence-wracked region Tuesday to protest attacks against Indians and a free-trade pact pursued by the United States — forming a column that coiled over the rolling, green countryside. Colombia's war, now in its 40th year, pits the military and a handful of outlawed right-wing paramilitary groups against two leftist rebel armies. Civilians, including the nation's 800,000 Indians who live in the Andes Mountains and jungles, are often caught in the middle, and pay a price in blood. Some 3,500 people, most of them civilians, are killed every year. Thousands more are kidnapped. The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia says 57 Indians have been killed and 4,500 forced from their homes in the conflict this year. Andrade said more than 40,000 Indians were participating in the march, saying he believed it was the largest gathering of Colombia's indigenous people in the country's history. Police put the number of marchers Tuesday at 35,000. (más)Buen trabajo... esto es muy necesario para su sobrevivencia, y para la sobrevivencia de su democracia. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/16/2004 05:16:17 PM TITLE: Mothers of Slain Mexican Women Get Homes ----- BODY:
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - The government of a northern Mexico state has promised to give free homes to 47 mothers of women killed in a string of sexually motivated slayings, angering some activists who say the gifts gloss over the lack of results in the criminal investigations. (más...)yo no sé lo que decir concerniendo esto...es tan trágico.. las matanzas han ocurrido por años ahora. ¿y de repente el gobierno del estado de chihuahua decide ayudar las madres? eso es mierda. If you are not familiar with the killings, here is a brief but pretty decent summary. la nota: lo siento, pero mi español no es bueno -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/15/2004 04:05:51 PM TITLE: Vatican cardinal: "We have entered the Fourth World War," ----- BODY:
"We have entered the Fourth World War," said Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, saying he believed that the Cold War was World War 3. "I believe that we are in the midst of another world war," he said in comments published in Italian newspapers on Tuesday. "And it involves absolutely everyone because we don't know what will happen when we leave a hotel, when we get on a bus, when we go into a coffee bar. War itself is sitting down right next to each and every one of us," he said.(more...) -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/15/2004 03:48:45 PM TITLE: Lenoisms... ----- BODY: Jay Leno:
"...'Here's an interesting fact, the Republican Convention boosted the New York economy $255 million. But the Democrat Convention in Boston only netted it $14.8 million. People wonder why it was so much less? Sure, Democrats don't like spending their own money."-------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/15/2004 02:34:58 AM TITLE: Mark Twain On The Duty Of Christians To Vote ----- BODY: (HT:William C. Fisher: "This is as relevant today as it was almost 100 years ago.")
"A popular North American amusement park is scheduled to host a "Great Muslim Adventure Day" this week in which the park will be open only to Muslims, drawing fire from various monitor groups, WorldNetDaily has learned." I hear the park has added some new rides just for this day: The Suicide Belt Roller Coaster The No Takeoff and Landings Flight Simulation Through New York City The B-52 Duck and Cover Log Ride The Haunted Russian School Bumper Car Bomb Flee the M1 Abrams Go-Kart RacingI saw the title of the post and knew Eric was already rockin' it. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/14/2004 10:39:42 PM TITLE: The assault on "assault weapons" continues... ----- BODY: Jay knows what's up...:
[T]he term “military style” is very misleading. All the weapons under the assault weapons ban are semi-automatic guns, not fully automatic weapons which have been illegal to own unless specficially licensed to do so in this country since 1934. In fact, it’s difficult to own a fully automatic weapon in the United States. In order to do so you must: A. Have a full FBI background check done (Not the regular background check, but a full investigation that can take months) B. The weapon must be registered C. A transfer tax of $200 must be paid for each item D. Must obtain state approval E. Must obtain local law enforcement approval F. Weapon must have been produced prior to 1986 G. Must obtain ATF approval The ban from 1994 was strictly cosmetic legislation. The people who wrote the legislation, went through a book and picked out weapons that looked scary and put them under the ban. Look at the pictures (here).Seriously. Check out the pictures. Or I'll assault you. With the weapon of your choice even. I can go commie on you with my kalishnikov or Jew on you with my Uzi. Your choice. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/14/2004 04:40:08 PM TITLE: Slutty-what-what?? ----- BODY:
In recent seasons, fashion has been filled with skimpy tops exposing midriffs, cleavage-revealing necklines and jeans slung so low that precious little was left to the imagination -- looks impossible to avoid on such pop icons as Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. This season, blousy linen took the place of sheer chiffon, while shades of white chased away an edgier black. Necklines were up, while hemlines were hovering down at the knee. "It's very ladylike. It's not jump-into-bed fashion," Deeny said of the new look on runways as established powerhouses to new designers trotted out more fabric and less skin than in seasons past.Sorry sugar, it takes ALOT than a little fabric coverage to make most of today's women "ladylike."
Underhill suggested the new modesty may be backlash to the "slutwear" look creeping into the children's market and young girls trying to copy the revealing, belly-baring looks of pop stars such as Spears.I wonder what her concert attire will look like now? Puritan outfits?
Mattel's newest dollHarsh media attention surrounding cases such as the murder of Lacey Peterson and the sexual assault accusations, now dropped, against basketball's Kobe Bryant "highlighted the dark side of lots of our sexuality," he added.Oh, man. "Dark side..." That's rich. (mo hoes...)
"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."-------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/14/2004 02:12:30 AM TITLE: Beslan II prevented? ----- BODY: A bit dated (from Sept. 9th) but extremely important, nonetheless. BBC: "Police in the Russian city of St Petersburg have found explosives, detonators and a gun in a cinema closed for repairs, Russian media have said." The tireless Stan covered this story (his Beslan aftermath coverage continues as well...) and translated this article from gzt.ru:
The school siege was well planned. Terrorists brought explosives, weapons, and food (canned goods and chocolate) back in July, when school was going through renovations. According to hostages, within the first minutes of the siege, the terrorists made male hostages rip up the floor, from under which they extracted their contraband. Several of the terrorists' bodies have now been identified as the "construction workers" who remodeled the school. Their intent explains the low price they've charged.I think half the blogosphere, save Stan, missed this one. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/14/2004 12:12:43 AM TITLE: "It's pronounced NUKULER, Lisa. NUK-U-LER" ----- BODY: It appears Sean's seismographic reports I mentioned may have reflected strong earthquakes in Alaska and Japan rather than an explosion in Kim Jong Ill's toilet... David Schneider-Joseph further questions Sean's seismograph analysis, comparing the readings of nuclear detonation and an earthquake with pretty pictures even! Yet, your guess is as good as mine what left the huge crater visible from space... The thin coverage (or lack thereof, rather) in the Asian media and the relative silence of neighboring governments leaves me baffled as well... Meanwhile....
"Pyongyang had no time to celebrate its Balochistan nuclear test success because it had the daunting task of extracting its nuclear scientists, test equipment and test data safely from Pakistan. Hundreds of American spies and agents were out to grab North Korean scientists and nuclear materials."(source: "North Korea's Nuclear Tests in Pakistan" - 1998)
"The last link in the system of checks and balances, which has prevented an excessive concentration of power in one pair of hands, is being abolished," the opposition party Yabloko said in a statement.Indeed.
"The will of a single person is imposed on the whole of society," echoed Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov. "What he is looking for is the usurping of power."...this coming from a Communist. Pending the Duma's approval of these measures, the Russian people can kiss local democracy ?? ????????. (more...) -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/13/2004 01:31:53 PM TITLE: Muslims against terrorism.... like fat kids against pastries? ----- BODY: ::rubs eyes:: Am I dreaming? What's this???
The Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism is a nonprofit organization made up of American Muslims and American Arabs of all backgrounds who feel that religious violence and terrorism have not been fully rejected by the Muslim community in the post 9-11 era. The Coalition was created to eliminate broad base support for Islamic extremism and terrorism and to strengthen secular democratic institutions in the Middle East and the Muslim World by supporting Islamic reformation efforts. The Coalition promotes a modern secular interpretation of Islam which is peace-loving, democracy-loving and compatible with other faiths and beliefs. The Coalition’s efforts are unique; it is the only mainstream American-Muslim organization willing to attack extremism and terrorism unambiguously. Unfortunately most other Muslim leaders and organizations believe that when it comes to terrorism, the end justifies the means. Other Americans have spoken up against terrorism, but never before has this message come with such clarity from Muslims or Arabs. Muslims are the only ones who can solve the problem of terror in Islam, and sadly until the founding of this Coalition, they were the only group who had not definitively spoken up against the use of terror. Please join the Coalition. We welcome all, whether Muslim, Christian or Jewish. (more...)This is like, whoa. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/12/2004 02:01:56 PM TITLE: Señor Walton and the Temple of Rolled-Back Prices ----- BODY:
TEOTIHUACAN, Mexico (Reuters) - Burning incense and sounding a conch shell horn, residents of an ancient Mexican city protested on Saturday at the construction of a Wal-Mart store on the edge of the ruins. The sprawling warehouse-style Bodega Aurrera, a unit of Wal-Mart in Mexico, is due to open in December in Teotihuacan, a major archeological site outside Mexico City. Opponents say it will ruin a way of life that dates back centuries and have taken legal action to stop it, in a fight that gives a grand dimension to the classic battle between big business and small-town values. "What they are doing in Teotihuacan is destroying Mexico's deepest roots for short-term interests like lower prices," local teacher Emanuel D'Herrera told about a dozen protesters outside Teotihuacan's town hall. "This is the flag of conquest by global interests, the symbol of the destruction of our culture." Amid rising controversy, Mexico's government this month said a small pre-Hispanic altar was found buried at the construction site. Plans call for preserving the small structure under plexiglass in what will be the store's parking lot.Not only does Walmart fund little league baseball, donate to charities, employ entire towns, cure cancer, and reverse global warming--they also excavate and preserve ancient pagan cultures for all the world to see (as they load their cars with 40 gallon bottles of Tide for 2.99).
"Mexico is one of the few places in the world where the seeds of culture and religion remain," said Tim Sikyea, or Lonely Eagle, a Dene Indian from the Northwest Territories in Canada who came to Teotihuacan this weekend for an annual ceremony with indigenous peoples from across the continent. "When you have big business come in you lose touch with that culture." No one knows for sure who founded the ancient seat of power and then abandoned it around 600 A.D. The Aztecs later came upon it and named it Teotihuacan (The Place Where Men Become Gods).Well, mis amigos a través de la frontera, Sr. Walton está en el pueblo ahora y es un dios. (Mr. Walton is in town now and is a god.) -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/12/2004 01:10:55 AM TITLE: Huge mushroom cloud, explosion near N. Korean-Chinese border ----- BODY:
SEOUL, South Korea - A large explosion occurred in the northern part of North Korea, sending a huge mushroom cloud into the air on an important anniversary of the communist regime, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday. The Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentified source in Beijing, said the explosion happened Thursday in Yanggang province near the border with China. The explosion in Kim Hyong Jik county blasted a crater big enough to be noticed by a satellite, the source said. (more...)...and with Iran 10 months or so away from possibly developing their own nukes, it looks like Washington is dropping the F-bomb right about now. The NYTimes interestingly reports:
While the indications were viewed as serious enough to warrant a warning to the White House, American intelligence agencies appear divided about the significance of the new North Korean actions, much as they were about the evidence concerning Iraq's alleged weapons stockpiles. (more...)They couldn't resist putting that last bit in there, could they? And I don't know about you, but large mushroom shape clouds are enough to convince me something ain't right over in them there parts of the world. Kim will likely publicly state tomorrow to the world, "It's just for developing clean, efficient nuclear powa!" I don't remember ever hearing about New Jersey setting off a mushroom cloud explosion next to the Delaware border when they constructed the Salem Nuclear Plant. Shady, I tell you. You have to admit, it was truly ballzy to test the "whatever caused the mushroom cloud to occur" so close to the Chinese border. When you are this sexy, I guess you can do anything.
Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause.
Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.
Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.
Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae - a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though - peaceful, loving, and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God.
Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals.
IN PAIN
Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and, probably, the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before.
But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice.
I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future.
In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined.
THE STEEL IN US
You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish.
So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received.
And take this message in exchange:
-You don't know my people.
-You don't know what we're capable of.
-You don't know what you just started.
But you're about to learn."Former Vice President Al Gore has compared President Bush's Christian faith with fundamentalist Islam, saying it emphasizes "vengeance" and "brimstone." In an interview with the New Yorker, Gore, who says he's a Southern Baptist, expressed disdain for Bush's public declaration of his faith. "It's a particular kind of religiosity," he told the magazine. "It's the American version of the same fundamentalist impulse that we see in Saudi Arabia, in Kashmir, in religions around the world: Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Muslim. They all have certain features in common.Yea...they all share the same characteristic of being denoted as "religions..."
Gore also slammed Bush's leadership in the White House, calling him a "weak man."Only to later say in the same inteview...
"I think he is a bully, and, like all bullies, he's a coward when confronted with a force that he's fearful of."Tsk tsk tsk. Shame on you Albert. Not only are you a contradictory sore loser, but a sore loser who ends their sentence in a preposition! (Yes, I notice I ended my sentence with the word "preposition," so shut up.) ::drum roll:: -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/9/2004 10:10:16 PM TITLE: Karim Saleh stars as Ziad Jarrah in... ----- BODY:
Alice Perman, the film's co-writer, conceded that Jarrah - who is torn between jihad and an ordinary life in the West - was one of the more sympathetic terrorists. Former tutors, flatmates and colleagues whom she spoke to "all talked about this likeable man", she said. "We chose him because his story was less straightforward. He was a complicated character and would have a greater resonance with the audience." Karim Saleh, a Lebanese actor who played Jarrah, said: "It's hard to be sympathetic to someone who allowed himself to be so dominated by people and ideas, and absorbed by a group."I'm inclined to agree with Saleh. I myself, am torn between nuking Iran and assasinating Khamenei... but I don't expect any sympathy. By the way, Alice, which audience were you hoping this terrorist scum-bag would "resonate" with? (Daily Telegraph--- Login name= sam@tonembug.com, PW="shemp"...if invalid, use www.bugmenot.com)
Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted U.S. government officials Monday, accusing them of supporting Chechen separatists and undermining his war on terror by calling on Russia to seek dialogue with people whom Putin called "bastards."Putin tells journalists, "Why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace? You find it possible to set some limitations in your dealings with these bastards, so why should we talk to people who are child-killers?" (more...) CNN quotes President Putin as claiming, "each time Russia complained to the Bush administration about meetings held between U.S. officials and Chechen separatist representatives, the U.S. response has been "We'll get back to you" or "we reserve the right to talk with anyone we want," Meanwhile, Mosnews.com reported earlier in August that 9/11 conspirators revealed connections with Chechen fighters. (more...) The St. Petersburg Times reported in January of this year, Chechen tactics are being utilized in Iraq,
"Some ambush techniques seen in Chechnya against the Russians and in Afghanistan against U.S. forces by al-Qaida and Taliban militants "we've seen employed here" in Iraq, Sirois said." One Middle East military analyst said information being shared from Afghan and Chechen sources is probably technical assistance with fuses, remote-control detonators - like cellphones - and assembling the complex daisy-chained bombs that began appearing in Iraq in late summer.As of 5/20/04, Nikolai Bakhroshin reported in Pravda approximately 2,000 to 3,000 Chechen fighters are in Iraq,
"Their command is in the so-called Staff of Iraqi Resistance located in Syria. The Staff controls the main anti-American groups in Iraq: the unit led by Abu al-Valid, the successor of killed "Black Arab" Khattab who was fighting in Chechnya, Army of Mohammed and Wahabees (radical Muslems). Iraqi guerillas from the former Iraqi Army officers look like kids in comparison with these groups being notorious for their atrocities.(all emphasis mine)
(...more photos)
(Note: Very graphic)
AFP - Click to EnlargeIn traditional Zeropean cowardice, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot: "There obviously was a misunderstanding... '"My words have been misinterpreted."
Natalya Arkova, a 10-year-old held hostage, said one terrorist cut a small boy's hand to make it look like he was carrying out a wounded child. But the crowd outside pointed the man out to soldiers, who promptly killed him. A regional security official told Itar-Tass on Sunday that 10 attackers had no identification with them that could determine their countries of origin. "Going by visual signs, one of the dead terrorists was black," the official said, Itar-Tass reported. "The other nine come from Arab countries. Experts are almost positive, judging by the type and size of their faces and other signs, that the nine Arabs come from countries near the equatorial part of the Arabian peninsula, such as Sudan and Yemen."Thomas de Waal, Caucasus Editor at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in London:
"This is not a happy part of the world. It is poor, mostly Muslim and increasingly alienated from the rest of Russia. Unemployment is high, particularly among young people. Local rulers are authoritarian and corrupt. Racism by ethnic Russians towards North Caucasians is on the rise. Over the past four years Moscow has shored up its chosen leaders, kept up the subsidies and helped suppress dissent but by doing so it is storing up hidden problems for itself. On current trends, in a generation much of the region could resemble parts of the Middle East or North Africa more than it does Russia. And sure enough radical Islam is finding willing recruits among young men, particularly in places like Kabardino-Balkaria that seem quiet on the surface." (more...)(Note: All emphasis mine) -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/6/2004 09:15:00 AM TITLE: Russian Media Muzzled (Part II) ----- BODY: ...but this time, was it justified? Francesca Mereu of the Moscow Times reports while, "[...] the world was holding its breath about the North Ossetian children held hostage, the two main state-owned Russian television channels did not interrupt their regular programming." Instead, "Channel One and Rossia continued showing a film and a documentary while CNN, the BBC and EuroNews were broadcasting live pictures of half-naked and bloodied children running terrified through the streets of Beslan, thirstily grabbing water bottles [...] Russian viewers had to wait almost an hour before getting news from the two main state channels." Anna Kachkayeva, a media analyst for Radio Liberty, exclaimed, "It is ridiculous that the first pictures of what happened in Beslan were broadcast by international media, while our state channels did not stop their programming," NTV owned radio station, Ekho Moskvy, resorted to translating live reports from CNN.news and Interfax. "By Saturday, all channels restored their usual programming and the events in Beslan were already old news," Mereu reports.
NTV's live footage was stopped at 1:54 p.m. when special forces started moving toward the school. The station apparently decided not to risk a repeat of the criticism it took after showing the special forces raid on the Dubrovka theater in October 2002. NTV was accused of jeopardizing the operation to free the hostages, although it insisted the footage was shown with a delay. This was considered the main reason for NTV general director Boris Jordan losing his job in January 2003. (more...)It is important to note NTV was the only media station openly critical of the government's war in Chechnya from 1994-96 and the conflicts that ensued. According to the MT, "NTV spent much of 2000 battling its state-controlled creditors for survival." (emphasis mine) According to Robert Coalson (a program director for the National Press Institute of Russia), in a piece published by the Committee for the Protection of Journalists,
Although no one knows for certain, experts estimate that at least 80 percent of the newspapers in Russia are formally controlled by state organs. A significant proportion of the remainder are informally controlled by the state through "private" commercial structures. According to the best estimates of the National Press Institute of Russia, as many as 50 percent of the Russian population have no access to information that is not generated and packaged by the state.
The popular daily tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets blasted the government for what it called "lies" over the latest terror attacks. "We are constantly being lied to," the paper wrote, referring to the latest crashes, as well as earlier blasts on a Moscow street that preceded them. "I will never believe," the article goes, "that special forces did not know how many hostages were being held in Beslan." Official statistics put the number at 354, but witnesses said well over 1,200 were being held. The daily Kommersant, however, wrote that blaming such events on international terrorism, as the Kremlin has done, "allows governments all over the world not to assume their responsibilities for the deaths of their citizens," joining a number of papers that expressed surprise and concern that Putin did not mention the conflict in Chechnya when talking about the recent events. "It's as if all the children did not die because of a war in Chechnya that has been going on for 10 years, but because international terrorism has been on the attack," the newspaper wrote.Meanwhile... the media repression continues...
Under suspicious circumstances, two prominent Moscow journalists known for their critical coverage of the military campaign in Chechnya failed to make it to North Ossetia to cover the hostage crisis in Beslan. Radio Liberty reporter Andrei Babitsky was detained Thursday at Vnukovo Airport and prevented from flying to Mineralniye Vody while police, who said they suspected him of carrying explosives, searched his bags. After no explosives were found, Babitsky was released, but two men approached him and started provoking him. All three men were detained, and Babitsky was charged with "hooliganism." He was sentenced Friday to five days in jail. In a separate incident Thursday, Anna Politkovskaya, who covers Chechnya for Novaya Gazeta, fell ill on her way to Beslan and had to be hospitalized. Her editor said she was poisoned. Politkovskaya was flying from Vnukovo Airport to Rostov-on-Don and fainted on the plane. Immediately after landing, she was taken to a local hospital, where doctors found she had been poisoned, Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov told the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.The detainment of Andrei Babitsky appears better organized then the special forces plans to storm the school building. Anyone familiar with state-sponsored media censorship in throughout the former USSR can attest to the blatant and unabashed mistreatment of Radio Liberty's Andrei Babitsky. Excerpts from an article I wrote in 2000 discussing the repression of media coverage of the Russian-Chechen engagements from the '94-96 war forward can be found below.
BESLAN, Russia — Holding up the corpse of a man just shot dead in front of hundreds of hostages (search) at a Russian school, the rebel — his pockets stuffed with ammunition and grenades — warned: "If a child utters even a sound, we'll kill another one." When children fainted from lack of sleep, food and water, their masked and camouflaged captors simply sneered. In the intolerable heat of the gym, adults implored children to drink their own urine.UPDATE: AP: Experts Doubt Chechnya-Qaeda Link The Kremlin has to be certain before firmly suggesting Al-Qaeda was involved (even the slightest bit) rather than being the sole act of Chechen separatists... Spain made that mistake when the blamed ETA and it actually turned out to be Al-Qaeda. I am not suggesting Putin would do so for any political reasons, like Aznar's administration allegedly did when they were so quick to accuse ETA on the eve of the election. In reality, Putin has little to gain from IDing the terrorists as either Chechens or Al-Qaeda. Terrorism is terrorism and the government's inability to effectively address the recent string of attacks, Chechen or Al-Qaeda led, only weakens Putin's public support. UPDATE: Vince further disects the media's inability to agree on a term to identify those..."bad men that did bad things" (V is in BOLD)
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Some 30 brown bears have been terrorizing a Transylvanian mountain village and could delay the start of the school year, local authorities said Thursday....this makes Vince ponder:
Ah, the joy of covering the coverage between AP and Reuters as they battle over the Gold medal for terrorism coddling.No, Eric, you are neither gunman nor militant nor terrorist. You are an American, and that is probably the worst thing to be called by the media. (more... ) -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/4/2004 03:23:35 AM TITLE: The Chechen Conflict - Then and Now... ----- BODY: Yelena Rudneva of Gazeta.Ru interviews State Duma deputy and an FSB reserve general Gennady Gudkov. (Transcript in its entirety can be found on mosnews.com)BESLAN, Russia (AP) - The three-day hostage siege at a school in southern Russia ended in chaos and bloodshed Friday, after witnesses said Chechen militants set off bombs and Russian commandos stormed the building.Do "militants" shoot children in the back as they run from the school? Of course, as I showcased yesterday, Reuters just had to outdo the AP, although it wasn't as extreme as my parody, all I can say is that it won't be long, to wit:BESLAN, Russia (Reuters) - Russia began counting the cost on Saturday at the end of a siege of a school captured by Chechen gunmen which killed at least 200 people and cast fresh doubts on Moscow's policy in the turbulent region.See the switch?? Yesterday, in AP, they were 'gunmen' and in Reuters they were 'militants.' Now they've swapped. Maybe I should just give up and congratulate both "news" services for identifying them as Chechen. I think some serious questions need answering here. 1. Since when do 'gunmen' set off bombs? 2. Since when did 'militants' go from civil disobedience to killing children? 3. When I go hunting this fall with my rifle, am I a 'gunman?' 4. If I shoot a burglar in my house, would Reuters call me a 'terrorist?'
Rudneva: Is it possible that gas or some other narcotic or poisonous substance will be used if the school building is stormed? Gudkov: No. There are children in there. Rudneva: But there were also children inside the Nord-Ost musical building... Gudkov: For the most part, they had been released before the raid. As regards the school there are a great many children. I do not think that in this case anyone will risk using gas or other substances. They will try to use every opportunity to talk till the very end.Phelps insightfully ruled out this method as well:
"Do you know why they picked a school? Body mass. They knew that any amount of gas like the Russians used in the Moscow Theater episode that would put down the terrorists would be a deadly dose for the children."A little more light was shed on the importance of Leonid Roshal
Gudkov: "I do not know how poor Dr. Roshal will hold those talks; he has already risked his life more than once. But I think that if the doctor fails to help, no other negotiator will cope."Apparently Dr. Roshal must be an invaluable negotiator, indeed. This part really gets me...
Rudneva: According to some news reports, members of an organization called Ingush Jamaat could be involved in organizing and perpetrating the attack. Gudkov: This does't matter. Today they pose as Chechen separatists; tomorrow they support al-Qaeda; the day after tomorrow they assume some other guise. Yet, they all belong to the same group.Then who are they then? Gudkov asserts the terrorist network has but one aim, to intimidate. But to intimidate the Kremlin into doing just what, exactly? Though my knowledge of Russia is mostly limited to Soviet history and very little about ethnic conflict, I do know Chechens are often lumped into one big "separatist movement." The problem with using such homogenizing means of defining the actors in these incidents is the simple fact that it ignores literally centuries upon centuries of georelational conflict between Russia, Chechnya and Georgia, too. The Chechen separatist movement was not merely another domino falling from the Empire after the crumbling of the Soviet Union in 1991.
"Today the truth is far more obvious. The main threat to Putin's presidency as a way of running the country is posed not by the economy or by widespread discontent over housing issues and pension reform. Terrorism is the real threat. [...] The difference between Russia in 1999 (the raid into Dagestan), 2002 (Nord Ost) and 2004 is that, however the authorities decide to resolve the crisis in Beslan, it is obvious that the state must review and reform its anti-terrorist strategy in Chechnya, its system for combatting terrorism nationwide and the way the security services operate. The crisis has now reached a new level, requiring a qualitatively new approach. We need to face facts: We're not conducting an anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya. We're at war with terror and terrorists. And special forces units don't win wars, the people do. But before the people can rise to this occasion, they must be involved in forming the plan of attack. [...] We need to change the way law enforcement and the security services operate. Throwing money at the problem won't help. These agencies must be held publicly accountable for their performance.Does this not all sound familiar? Softly damning 9/11 Reports aside, the recent string of terrorist attacks and activities in Russia just goes to show how unprepared all civilized nations really are in combatting the threat of Islamo-fascist terrorism. Remember, we in the United States are surrounded by Iberian nations in the south and a highly Europeanized nation in the north. "Famous Russian General Yakov Kulnev, who first defeated the Swedes and Turks and then routed Napoleon in 1812, once joked: 'Mother Russia is good because somebody is always fighting in one of its corners'.” Russia is right smack in the middle of the ethnic and religious tensions and conflict of Eastern Europe, Asia Minor and all of Asia--surrounded on all sides. Their only comfort--the chilling Artic. (And we thought we had a problem.)
Late Wednesday night, one of the troops called his commanding officer on the radio with a grim request. "Can we shoot the dogs? They are chewing on the bodies," said the man, who gave only his first name, Oleg. The officer turned down the request, saying that any shooting could alarm the hostage-takers, and they did not want to risk setting off a firefight or put the hostages' lives in danger.-------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/4/2004 01:54:57 AM TITLE: A prayer for the people of Beslan... ----- BODY:
This is what the LORD says:
"A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because her children are no more."
This is what the LORD says:
"Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,"
declares the LORD .
"They will return from the land of the enemy.
So there is hope for your future," declares the LORD .
(Photo: Sean Kimmons / U.S. Army)
"Our cameraman ... told me that in his estimation there are as many as 100 dead bodies, I am afraid, lying on the smoldering floor of the gymnasium where we know that a large number of the hostages were being held," he said. Interfax reported a similar number. Tass news agency said there were more than 400 wounded, and witnesses saw around 20 bodies at a hospital morgue. Rebels fled with soldiers in pursuit. The authorities said events had forced their hand after insisting from the outset they would not resort to violence. Manyon said police had told him some children had tried to escape and that, when the captors fired and chased them, the troops opened fire and the battle began. Moments earlier, authorities said they had sent a vehicle to fetch the bodies of people killed in Wednesday's seizure of the school. "No military action was planned. We were planning further talks," the regional head of the FSB security service, Valery Andreyev, told RTR television.
Tass quoted a source in the regional interior ministry as saying the school seizure had been planned by Shamil Basayev, Russia's most wanted Chechen rebel, and led by field commander Magomet Yevloyev. The source said there was information that it had been financed by Abu Omar As-Seyf, who was believed to be Al Qaeda's representative in Chechnya. (more...)
Russian Special Forces soldier rescues child.[...]The Mufti of Chechnya has some strong words for these terroristis. In his denounciation of their act he refers to them as "terrorist-criminals" who have "once again shown their beastly face". He stated that these "terrorist-criminals" are people without a religion and definately are not muslim. Those who know Islam would not use the word together with "terrorism" in the same sentence, he said, because "Islam is a great religion, which calls onto its followers to commit good to others people and nations". "Muslims of Chechnya are ready to do whatever is necessary to help free the hostages", he underlined. Basayev's official website is doing some serious PR. (www.kavkaz.org.uk/russ/) They have just posted two articles (in Russian) about Russia's alleged murder of 42,000 chechen children (a gruesome photo of dead kids is accompanying the text). The second article is titled "You Reap What You Sow". Terrorist's official mouthpiece is claiming that it's the Russian SWAT that is killing the hostages. Those people are sick.And those websites (INCLUDING the BBC) need to stop referring to them as GUNMEN or a "gang" and start indicating what they truly are, TERRORISTS! A spade is a spade!
Iran admits it provides facilities to Al-Zarqawi to conduct his operations in Iraq A reliable Iranian source confirmed that Brig. Gen. Qassim Sullaimani, the commander of Al-Quds corps in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, told a closed seminar that Iran provides facilities to the Jordanian extremist scholar, Abu Mosaab Al-Zarqawi. Al-Zarqawi is accused of conducting most of the suicide operations and attacks in Iraq. Sullaimani justified this cooperation because Al-Zarqawi's activities in Iraq "serve the high interests of the Islamic Republic." Among these interests is the prevention of a federalist secular regime in Iraq that cooperates with the United States. The source, who attended the closed seminar for students of strategic and defense studies at the university of Imam Al-Hussein told "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" newspaper that Brig. Gen. Sullaimani said, "Al-Zarqawi and members of his organization (Ansar Al-Islam) don't need prior permission to enter Iran. There are specific border points which stretch from Halabja in the north to Elam in the south where Al-Zarqawi and more than 20 Ansar Al-Islam commanders can enter Iran whenever they want." The source said Brig. Gen. Sullaimani, who oversees the activities of the revolutionary guards intelligence units and Al-Quds corps operating in Iraq, answered questions from students about why Iran supports a person who is anti-Shia, like Al-Zarqawi, who previously was accused of his involvement in the killing of Ayet Allah Mohammed Baqir Al-Hakim, president of the high council of Islamic revolution in Iraq. Despite the accusation coming from close circles to the Iranian regime leader Ali Kham'ani, Sullaimani considers Al-Zarqawi's involvement in Al-Hakim's killing unconfirmed. Instead, he said Al-Zarqawi's activities now serve the high interests of the Islamic Republic. The establishment of a secular Iraq that cooperates with the United States is more dangerous than the former Baath regime. The new regime will form – according to Al-Sullaimani – a real threat to the pure revolutionary Mohamedi Islam and the scholars' state – according to the source. "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" newspaper was told that Al-Zarqawi moved to Iran a few months after events in Falluja. He spent a few weeks in a military camp, subjoined to the revolutionary guards in Mahran on the border with Iraq, before he left it to go to the city of Baquba with the help of Al-Quds corps. It's worth mentioning Al-Quds corps was formed toward the end of Al-Khumaini era to hunt for opposition personalities and powers inside and outside Iran. Their jobs and responsibilities changed during the last few years. Today, it is responsible for Iraq, Afghanistan, Arab and Islamic countries with indirect connections to the United States. A former corps chief said Abu-Mosaab Al-Zarqawi escaped to Turkey last year, after being in Iran and entered Iraq more than a year ago. He confirmed to the newspaper that a meeting was held last June between Al-Zarqawi and a Lebanese fugitive, Emad Mughania, at one of Al-Quds corps centers in Kermanshah providence in western Iran. The source said Mughania played an influential role in forming the Al-Mahdi Army. Al-Mahdi Army belongs to the strict Shia religious cleric, Muqtada Al-Sadr, and trains its members in camps inside Iran. He also mentioned the entrance of Shia fighters from Lebanon to Iraq dressed as religious studies students. These fighters then join Al-Madi Army under the supervision of Emad Mughania. Mughania underwent a cosmetic surgery recently in a sanitarium for the revolutionary guards in northern Iran to change his face. This is the 5th surgery for Mughania, who's been chased by Western and Arabic intelligence organizations for a number of years now. The source said Mughania kept his relationships with Aymen Al-Thawahiri, the number-two man in Al-Qaida organization despite the difficulty of contacting him lately. He added that Mughania submitted a report early this year to chief of the revolutionary guards intelligence after a visit to Iraq. The report outlined the importance of expanding a framework of collaboration between Al-Mahdi Army and Al-Zarqawi's group. Muqtada has lost his standing among the Iraqi shia, especially Al-Najaf, while gaining more supporters in the Sunni triangle. The source also said Iranian president Mohammed Khatemi objects strongly to the interference of the revolutionary guards in Iraq's interior affair. He said he was surprised lately by a report he received from an official in the Iraqi government, who is a friend of Iran. It included detailed information consolidated with numbers on the wide involvement of Al-Quds corps and revolutionary intelligence in the terror operations that targets the Iraqi people and government in addition to its infrastructure.President Bush: "Those who harbor terrorists are as guilty as the terrorists themselves." You have been warned, Iran. Proppage: Fayrouz -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/3/2004 12:00:08 AM TITLE: One of NYPD's finest severely beaten;
Prosecutors drew up felony assault charges yesterday against a 20-year-old Manhattan man who the police said admitted to punching and kicking a plainclothes police detective who was knocked off his scooter after a largely peaceful protest march became unruly Monday night. The man, Jamal Holiday, of East 116th Street, was arrested just before 8 p.m. on Tuesday at another protest, in Union Square Park, after two detectives recognized him from images of the Monday night assault, which was captured by an NY1 television news photographer.Holiday's lawyer stated at his arraignment last night that "a man not dressed as a police officer drove a scooter into a crowd of women and children.'' (more...) Those evil Imperial Troopers...
(NYPD Photo File)[sic] when the march reached the demonstration area, some protesters clashed with the police in a disturbance that civil liberties lawyers said was caused by the department's handling of the marchers. News videotape of the incident showed several other plainclothes officers lurching their scooters into protesters.You mean... someone videotaped the officers engaging the protestors? Kinda like when the conveniently prepared amateur cameraman misses the first 10 minutes of the action?
Paul J. Browne, a department spokesman, said Detective Sample was responding to another officer's radio call for assistance, which came after police sought to place barricades across the southern end of the intersection at 29th Street and Eighth Avenue. But the New York Civil Liberties Union said yesterday that as the police stretched barricades across Eighth Avenue, they did not tell the crowd what was happening, an action that the groups said sowed chaos.In other words, the Imperial Guard deliberately flew their Tie Fighters directly into a peaceful band of rebel forces known as the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign. (Since when were poor people educated enough to know what economic human rights were? And probably as products of NYC's public school system, no less?) Meanwhile, the Daily News reports a somewhat different story...
Detective William Sample was trying to prevent protesters from breaking through a police barricade at Eighth Ave. and 29th St. when he was pulled off his scooter and kicked repeatedly in the head. [...] Sample was injured after cops let a group called the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, which had rallied outside the United Nations, march through the city even though it did not have a permit to do so. Along the way, another officer was socked in the face. And when the crowd neared the Garden, troublemakers tried to push through police barricades.So...basically the plain-clothes officers were responding to a call after the protestors (sans a legal permit...mind you) began attempting to overcome the police barricades. The Times says, "While the protesters had no permit, they reached a last-minute accord with the police to march as long as they stayed in a single lane." Apparently, it is rather difficult to move past street barricades while remaining in a single-file line. CBSNew York describes the scene in a degree of detail that is nowhere to be found in the Times article,
"Hundreds of police in riot gear and on horses swept in to disperse the crowd, shouting, "Move!" Less than a dozen arrests were made as protesters yelled back, 'Whose streets? Our streets!'"CBS also inserted a quote not found in the Times piece around the section referring to the NYPD permitting the permit-less group to march...
"They asked if they could march, and we said yes," police Assistant Deputy Commissioner Tom Doepfner said. "We try to be nice."Well, Tom, I don't know how long you've been "Assistant Deputy Commissioner" (what is that the equivalent of, executive assistant? gopher? coffee bitch?) but this is, as the $14 t-shirts say,
All in all, things were successful. The Protest Warriors were not allowed to participate in the UFPJ march, and most of the crowd was supportive of the tactics used. People were cheering and clapping when the Protest Warriors were confronted, and helped to dispose of the signs as they were passed back in the crowd. Hopefully, the Protest Warriors and other right-wing groups will realize that they cannot pull stunts like this without serious consequences, and that their point of view is not one that is tolerated anywhere. Based on comments from the Protest Warriors on their messageboard, like the one at the beginning of this article, it seems like they definitely got the message.More proof the Left believes free speech belongs solely to them... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/2/2004 09:06:35 PM TITLE: DNC releases revised 2004 party platform ----- BODY: Breaking News: The Democratic National Committee, in what is seen as an last minute desparate effort to supress any possible jump in the polls following the President's speech tonight, have released a revised edition of the 2004 Democratic Party platform. Click here to read it in full. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/2/2004 11:20:44 AM TITLE: "Into the sea, You and me" ----- BODY: Reuters: Seas Only Hope for World Water Supply, Says Spain While I applaud their bold attempts, someone might want to fill in the city of Granada on the details of water conservation... Almost every single morning, city maintenance workers are power-hosing down the sidewalks, even in the middle of January (when I was there last). It was the most peculiar thing to me, especially during the winter. The smog and congestion (due to the ridiculously narrow streets) settles on the ground and there probably is a bit of litter from the massive amount of pedestrians walking all hours of the day. (You'd walk too, if you had to pay $1.80 per quart) I cannot recall off hand the name of the custom (I think it was borracho, the term for "drunk"), but during the Summer, drinking in the streets is a common social scene...so I imagine there's a bit of vomit to clean up as well... P.S. Anybody who can tell me which Cure song the title is from gets uh...8...cool points...yea. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/2/2004 10:02:10 AM TITLE: THE most unusual (junk?) email I have ever received... ----- BODY: ...next to midget porn spam...
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A heavily armed gang seized up to 400 hostages at a Russian school near Chechnya Wednesday and threatened to kill 50 children for any member of their group killed, a senior local official said. "They have said that for every fighter wiped out they will kill 50 children and for every fighter wounded -- 20," regional Interior Minister Kazbek Dzantiyev told reporters in Beslan. [...] The gang, some strapped with explosives and reported to have mined the school grounds, later set free 15 of the children, Itar-Tass news agency said. At least eight civilians were killed in the attack -- seven of them dying of wounds in hospital, news agencies quoted officials as saying. Nearly 50 children had managed to escape. Witnesses near the school said sporadic gunfire resounded throughout the day and there was at least one loud unexplained bang from inside the school. "Every gunshot I hear is like a shot into my heart," said one woman, Vera, tears pouring down her cheeks and whose child was among the hostages.(more...) UPDATE: Vince, like always, finds the soft spots in the major news wires... (Note: V is in bold) On Rooters...
Religion of Peace Or Why Reuters Is A "News" Service MOSCOW (Reuters) - A heavily armed gang seized up to 400 hostages at a Russian school near Chechnya Wednesday and threatened to shoot dead 50 children for any one of their comrades killed, a senior local official said. Gang? What, the Crips? Bloods? The Luchesse Family? Make no mistake, these are the same Islamofascist scumsuckers that have painted a bullseye on this country, whether Reuters wants to acknowledge it or not.On the Ass Press...
Close, But No Cigar, Why Not Just Join Michael Moore And Call Them Minutemen? The AP version: BESLAN, Russia (AP) - Armed militants with explosives strapped to their bodies stormed a Russian school in a region bordering Chechnya on Wednesday, corralling hundreds of hostages - many of them children - into a gymnasium and threatening to blow up the building if surrounding Russian troops attacked. At least two people were killed, including a school parent.And finally, some advices for Vladsky...
To Russia With Love Dear Vladimir, this is how we do it FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. airstrike late Wednesday targeted a suspected safehouse in Fallujah used by followers of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, U.S. officials said.and kyer kontinues...
Attack Creates Dilemma for Putin By Simon Saradzhyan - Staff Writer The hostage-taking drama evolving in North Ossetia has put forth a deadly serious dilemma for President Vladimir Putin, of whether to continue his policy of refusing to negotiate with radical groups in the North Caucasus, or to soften his line and meet some of the hostage-takers' demands, given that the lives of more than 100 children are at stake in this standoff.Absolutely not... Number one rule of any free nation on Earth in dealing with terrorists-- Do NOT negotiate with terrorists! Doing so even once, sets a dangerous precedent...thus the reason why the U.S. maintains this practice to this day (unless, of course, JFK II is elected...) I realize children's lives are at stake, nevertheless, giving in once would only affirm the value of utilizing younger hostages...In other words, if using kids is what it takes to get the Kremlin to bend, then so be it. This is how Putin should continue to operate: (from the same source)
The tactic that Russian police and security agencies have pursued in similar situations is to try to negotiate the release of as many hostages as possible, while giving commandos time to prepare for a storming. The overall strategy of Putin's anti-terrorism policy has also been invariable and has boiled down to consenting to negotiate only the release of hostages, while firmly refusing to address hostage-takers' other demands, such as the release of suspects from prison, the withdrawal of troops, or peace negotiations with the Chechen rebels.However, this hardline stance may have its downside as well...
On one hand, the Kremlin's consent to at least discuss the political demands would help to secure the release of more hostages. On the other hand, such a concession could be interpreted as a sign of weakness and entail not only further concessions but also new hostage-takings by extremist groups looking beyond the independence of Chechnya to the establishment of an entire Islamic state in the North Caucasus.Exactly...
A firm refusal to negotiate is also fraught with consequences in the longer term. Given that a series of deadly attacks, including coordinated raids in Ingushetia in June and a string of suicide bombings in Moscow, has failed to affect the Kremlin's line, the extremists might opt for attacks of catastrophic proportions in the hope that the greater casualties and psychological shock would cause a capitulation.If this is the case, Russia may have an even more suitable example to support their claim to their own 9-11. Beyond that, the question remains--will Russia become a more firm ally in the War on Terror? Intelligence sharing and strong words aside, Moscow may be forced to participate militarily, on the grounds of geographic defense alone. They have their hands full not only with the Chechen crisis, but with separtist Tbilsi (Georgia), too. The election of pro-Kremlin candidate Alu Alkhanov, who won 74 percent of the vote in Chechnya's presidential election, may present a dilemma in and of itself. Alkhanov replaces the other Kremlin-backed president, Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in a bomb attack last spring. And finally... Just substitute Donald for Sergei, Bush for Putin, and America for Russia, and this part should ring a bell...
When commenting on the bombing of the two airliners and the suicide attack, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, who is close to Putin, told Russian reporters early Wednesday morning that international terror networks have declared war on Russia. "In fact, a war has been declared on Russia, a war where there is no front line and the enemy cannot be seen," Ivanov said.Sound familiar?
BESLAN, Russia (AP) - Camouflage-clad commandos carried crying babies away from a school where gunmen holding hundreds of hostages freed at least 26 women and children Thursday during a second day of high drama that kept crowds of distraught relatives on edge.In the world of AP, they've gone from "militants" to just plain "gunmen," (conveniently ignoring the several female terrorists also inside). Seeing that Reuters and AP are in a race to see who can avoid calling a terrorist a terrorist the most, here's my version of what we'll probably see from Reuters tomorrow: BESLAN, Russia (Reuters) - Camouflage-clad jackbooted thugs carried ruthless occupiers away from a school where members of the Vienna Boys Choir holding hundreds of capitalist pigs freed at least 26 women and failed abortions Thursday during a second day of high drama that kept crowds of overreacting relatives on edge. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/1/2004 04:20:13 AM TITLE: High oil prices? Blame Bush. ----- BODY: While the reality that global oil supply levels have peaked is unmistakable, the more pertinent scenario is this: China has become an oil whore...
EVIDENCE is mounting that China is buying more oil than it consumes, raising fears that oil hoarding may be supporting the current high price of crude. The signs of aggressive Chinese stockpiling emerge from research by Merrill Lynch, the investment bank, which suggests that China is importing crude and refined products at twice the rate of growth in actual demand....while Russia is just a prude...
MOSCOW - Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov pledged Friday that Russia would keep meeting its oil export commitments to China, an apparent reference to fears that a cut in production at the beleaguered Yukos oil company could harm Beijing. [...] The Yukos affair has drawn concern from foreign governments, and it has also added uncertainty to the oil market amid warnings by Yukos that it might have to cut back production.(sigh...) C'mon Ruskies...give it up. Proppage for the post idea: Considerettes -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/1/2004 03:50:01 AM TITLE: Los Jihadistas... ----- BODY: From the AP:
MANAGUA, Nicaragua - All of Central America is on alert for a possible al-Qaida attack against El Salvador for its support of the U.S.-led mission in Iraq (news - web sites), the head of the Nicaraguan army said Friday. [...] "There is a direct and particular threat against El Salvador," he said. Across Central America security has been tightened at airports and embassies in a bid to avert any possible attack. Honduran Security Minister Oscar Alvarez said Sunday his country declared a national alert after receiving information that al-Qaida was trying to recruit Hondurans to attack embassies of the United States, Britain, Spain and El Salvador.Earlier reports here. Proppage: Little Green Footballs -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 9/1/2004 01:56:16 AM TITLE: Comrade Carter and the Clinton Agenda... ----- BODY: From: The New American Revolutionist. "The press seems to have taken upon itself three tasks concerning the treatment of the Democratic Party elite:
1. Ensure Hillary Clinton stays relevant in preparation for her Presidential run in 2008 or 2012. 2. Sainthood for Bill. 3. Protect the legacy of Jimmy Carter."On Carter's blessing of Chavez's referendum survival ... (see this post for a refresher): "First of all, does anyone ever recall Carter meeting a dictator that he can bring himself to condemn?" (more...) Ah, Jimbo...when will you ever just give it a rest? He sure knew how to exit with quiet dignity... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/31/2004 11:59:59 PM TITLE: One of THE most ridiculous forms of protest ever... ----- BODY:
"This type of investigation is really a form of intimidation and a message to activists that they will pay a price for speaking out," said Ann Beeson, the ACLU's associate legal counsel. 'The posting of publicly available information about people who are in the news should not trigger an investigation.'Apparently, physically and emotionally harassing innocent citizens for holding opposing political viewpoints constitutes their definition of the First Amendment... (LGF has MORE...) Meanwhile, no further leads on the hacking of the Protest Warrior member database a few days ago in which PW information was posted on the net... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/31/2004 11:50:50 PM TITLE: ----- BODY:
And just to rub it in...
Worst Yankees Losses
Aug. 31, 2004: Cleveland 22, Yankees 0
July 29, 1928: Cleveland 24, Yankees 6
June 17, 1925: Detroit 19, Yankees 1
July 9, 1987: Toronto 20, Yankees 3
ESPN: Epic defeat
As the runners went through the streets of Athens, to the cheers of flag-waving onlookers, the intruder came from the runner's left and pushed him to the side, all the way to the curb and into the crowd. It appeard that spectators freed Lima before police arrived and took the intruder into custody. The intruder had a piece of paper attached to his back bearing the message: "The Grand Prix Priest Israel Fulfillment of Prophecy Says the Bible." (more...)Weeeiiirrrd city, man......... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/29/2004 01:38:18 AM TITLE: Legislating by the sword ----- BODY: Now they're dictating which laws are acceptable now... "An Iraqi militant group has kidnapped two French journalists and given the French government 48 hours to end its ban on Muslim headscarves in school, Arabic television station Al Jazeera said Saturday." (more...) First it's demanding troop withdrawals, now it's amending laws... What's next? Update: Sir George just covers this so much better than I could in my delusionally stupidly tired state. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/29/2004 01:38:03 AM TITLE: Governator vetoes immigrant driver's licenses ----- BODY:
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto legislation that would allow nearly 2 million illegal immigrants who pass criminal background checks to obtain driver's licenses, a spokeswoman said on Saturday.As he should...
She added the governor also wanted licenses for illegal immigrants to be distinguishable from standard driver's licenses, a provision not included in the legislation passed by state lawmakers.How could that NOT have been considered during the drafting stage?
Minority groups have argued that allowing illegal immigrants, many of whom are Hispanics, to obtain driver's licenses could make the state's roads safer because license holders would need to pass a driver's test and buy car insurance.The only vehicles they need to be riding should be large school buses en route to Mexico. (Hey, at least buses have seats, I could have suggested they ride in the back of a tractor-trailer.)
Critics have said allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses would reward those who break immigration laws.We already allow them access to free medical care in our hospitals, why not let them have free driver's licenses too? Source: Reuters -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/28/2004 05:26:33 PM TITLE: Alice Cooper: Fellow Rockers are Treasonous Morons ----- BODY:
"To me, that's treason," Cooper said. "I call it treason against rock and roll, because rock is the antithesis of politics. Rock should never be in bed with politics". Cooper continued, "If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal." Concluded Cooper, "Besides, when I read the list of people who are supporting Kerry, if I wasn't already a Bush supporter, I would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt? Don Henley? Geez, that's a good reason right there to vote for Bush."Rock on, man. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/28/2004 04:42:50 PM TITLE: ----- BODY: Allah has more energy than I do to keep up with the unfolding drama behind the Israeli mole story...until something BIG evolves, head on over there for the punch for punch commentary. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/28/2004 03:07:16 PM TITLE: MSNBC - Iverson rips Athens no-shows ----- BODY: "'Anybody that grew up in the U.S. and is able to be a basketball player in the NBA, you understand what that country has done for you and your family,' Iverson said. 'It gave you an opportunity to support your family and be recognized as a household name. I mean, it's just an honor to be able to do something like that, and I would advise anybody that's selected to a team like this to take that honor and cherish it.'" Is A.I. finally showing signs of maturity? -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/28/2004 02:49:13 PM TITLE: WorldNetDaily: FBI docs say China funded Kerry ----- BODY: "...Suggest exchange with Beijing for aerospace technology" Hmm... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/28/2004 02:12:53 PM TITLE: ----- BODY: Bret Stephens of the Jerusalem Post wrote this interesting thought piece...
Pretty soon, the Anyone But Bush crowd is going to have to decide: Is the American president an Israeli shill or is he a Saudi shill? Does he do the bidding of the insidious pro-Israel neocons or of the insidious pro-Arab oil lobby?-------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/28/2004 02:03:31 PM TITLE: Mothers Against Bush March Across Brooklyn Bridge ----- BODY:
The Brooklyn Bridge march, organized by the abortion rights group Planned Parenthood, attracted thousands of people on a hot, humid day. They crossed the bridge in a line 10 people wide and about a half-mile long. "I demand and cherish that right," said Sara Breman, 22, a student from Austin, Texas. "Under Bush that right is being threatened through their way of teaching sexual education by teaching abstinence."Uhhh.........'cause abstinence is bad, mmmmmkaaaay?? UPDATE: From World Net Daily...
The (Elliot) Institute reports: "Studies within the first few weeks after the abortion have found that between 40 and 60 percent of women questioned report negative reactions. Within 8 weeks after their abortions, 55 percent expressed guilt, 44 percent complained of nervous disorders, 36 percent had experienced sleep disturbances, 31 percent had regrets about their decision, and 11 percent had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their family doctor." Among the many physical consequences of an abortion, the Elliot Institute has documented "minor infections, bleeding, fevers, chronic abdominal pain, gastro-intestinal disturbances and vomiting." Also listed are "excessive bleeding, embolism, ripping or perforation of the uterus, anesthesia complications, convulsions, hemorrhage, cervical injury and endotoxic shock." How interesting that these terms will not be in circulation at the "March for Women's Lives." Instead, curious women will hear the results of studies as old as 1989, like this one from PlannedParenthood.com: "Research studies indicate that emotional responses to legally induced abortion are largely positive." Other studies date back to 1988, 1985 and 1984. It is not at all surprising that this organization needs to rely on vague, 20-year-old evidence as filler for their "Fact Sheet." The more facts about abortion that come out, the harder it gets to defend abortion and find favorable facts about it.-------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/28/2004 01:12:06 PM TITLE: File this under the "What the @*#&???" category... ----- BODY: Ecosystem 2004-08-27 Rank: 487 Link: 179 2004-08-28 Rank: 1355 Links: 81 I think I figured out why though...for the past several days my blog has appeared on the short blogg roll for Blogs for Bush and I think it cycles with new members and I just hit the end of the cycle so back to being a damned kangaroo for me! #@$%@% hehe -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/28/2004 01:38:40 AM TITLE: Nobody likes a TATTLE-TALE! :P ----- BODY: My favorite New Zealanders act like a buncha playground bullies and steal John Kerry's lunch money. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/28/2004 01:27:18 AM TITLE: ----- BODY:
Years later, before I became a communist, I was a member of a fascist youth movement. [...] We walked up and down the streets in uniform and heiled all the time. It was a bit like the Hitler Youth but comical.This guy is a piece of work. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote a follow-up piece based on the Haaretz article...
"He said he doesn't hate Jews, but rather Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies regarding the Palestinians, which he described as Nazi-like. Sharon - and other Jews in influential positions - persuaded U.S. President George W. Bush to go to war against Iraq, he added."I just love when Israelis are compared to Nazis. The analogy just makes so much sense. (slices sarcasm with butter knife)
"The composer - who wrote the Palestinian national anthem - also said there is no anti-Semitism in Europe, despite a recent wave of anti-Jewish attacks."First of all, the Palestinian national what? And nah, there's no Zeropean anti-Semitism in Europe... This was by far my favorite part:
"He called Jewish claims of anti-Semitism a 'masochistic reaction' by a people who like to be 'the victim.'"... Please read the section in the Haaretz interview with Theodorakis for the full context of that twisted illogical assertion. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/27/2004 07:46:24 PM TITLE: Israeli mole in Pentagon, AIPAC link suspected... ----- BODY: Pentagon officials and the FBI are investigating the likely presence of an Israeli agent who is relaying sensitive information to two representatives of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful pro-Israel lobby organization. Surveillance operations have revealed efforts to pass information from the mole to the AIPAC representatives and then to Israel. Some of the sensitive materials include an early draft of a Presidential policy directive on the U.S. position towards Iran. CBS News broke the story. This may be significant for more than obvious reasons since some of the sensitive information obtained involved material regarding US policy toward Iran. Israel is allegedly planning covert operations to strike Iran's nuclear capabilities if need be, regardless of American support. The Israelis may have sought the information acquired by their mole in the Pentagon for this very operation. According to Reuters,
"The network (CBS) described the spy as a 'trusted analyst' assigned to a unit within the defense department tasked with helping develop the Pentagon's Iraq policy. It said the analyst had ties to top Pentagon officials Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith, both regarded as leading architects of the war on Iraq. Asked about the CBS report, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy told reporters: 'We categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous.'"This is not the first time such an incident has occurred with our ally. In 1985, Jonathan Pollard, while working with U.S. Navy intelligence, "was arrested in November of 1985 at the gates of the Israeli embassy in Washington. He was tried, convicted and handed a life sentence."(Haaretz) Yet the case does not end there. Oh yes, there's more...and more.
John Kerry speaking at a Martin Luther King day celebration in Virginia last year said, quote, "I remember well April 1968, I was serving in Vietnam. A place of violence. When the news reports brought home to me and my crew mates the violence back home and the tragic news that one of the bullets flying that terrible spring took the life of Dr. King." That date, of Dr. King's death, was April 4, 1968. According to kerry's website, it was not until November 17, 1968, that he reported for duty in Vietnam.Proppage: Tom -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/27/2004 02:27:53 AM TITLE: ----- BODY:
"Alan Keyes, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate who once referred to reparations as 'an insult to our slave ancestors,' is now calling for a plan that would exempt the descendants of slaves from income taxes for at least a generation."Riiiiiiggght... What happened to the Keyes who said this?
"You want to tell me that what they suffered can actually be repaired with money? You're going to do the same thing those slaveholders did, put a money price on something that can't possibly be quantified in that way." (cited from 2 years ago on MSNBC's "Alan Keyes is Making Sense")...Meanwhile... The wonderful Michelle Malkin tells Keyes to stop making a mess... ...and then throws her hat in the ring, justifiably, demanding compensation from the Spaniards. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/26/2004 09:56:41 AM TITLE: ----- BODY:
Mark Thatcher, the son of former British prime minister Lady Thatcher, was arrested and charged today over claims that he was involved in a plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea.(more...)-------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/25/2004 07:20:58 AM TITLE: ----- BODY:
"Chavez is going back to what he's always been: an element of discord and division, structurally incapable of promoting dialogue," the opposition statement said.Enrapturing the poor with his romantic promises of a new "Bolivarian Revolution", Chavez merely aggravates class tensions and polarizes the electorate. I am not by any means asserting the wealthy ricos (elites) of Venezuela are blameless for their end of the conflict (ie: the US-backed coup attempt 2 years ago to insert a wealthy businessman in the presidency), but legitimate dialogue is essential to the functioning of a true democracy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've yet to read of any evidence of a sincere attempt to bridge the divide between Chavez and his massive impoverished constituency.
The territory could be a perfect staging ground for Osama bin Laden's militants, with homegrown rebel groups, drug and people smugglers, and corrupt governments. U.S. officials have long feared al-Qaida could launch an attack from south of the border, and they have been paying closer attention as the number of terror-related incidents has increased since last year. ...In Central America, Honduran Security Minister Oscar Alvarez said officials have uncovered evidence that terrorists, likely from al-Qaida, may be trying to recruit Hondurans to carry out attacks in Central America.I say we fill the Rio Grande with piranhas and man-eating crocs and construct pill boxes and gun towers every 50 yards along the border.
The cost and bother of constant trespass and the fear of theft and burglary have meant that many rural people in Cochise County, where Douglas is located, are now arming themselves. Warning shots have been fired and many are worried that something worse might happen. What frightens the ranchers most, however, is not the aliens but rather drug smugglers. These are well-armed men, some carrying fully automatic weapons. Ranchers in both San Diego and Cochise Counties have reported seeing armed men on the U.S. side of the border, military in appearance, dressed in black, and armed with automatic rifles. Some believe that they are from the Mexican army acting in support of smugglers. Whether they are or not, however, Mexican army units and armed police are frequently reported entering U.S. territory, a violation that evokes angry response when U.S. authorities stray across the border into Mexico. Ron Sanders was for five years the chief of the Tucson sector of the border patrol until his retirement in August 1999. Hardly a month goes by, he said, without some kind of incursion by Mexican police or military. Sometimes shooting is involved. He recalls an armed stand-off on the U.S. side of the border between the Nogales police and the Mexican army. The latest publicized incursion took place in March near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Two Mexican army Humvees penetrated more than a mile into the United States and fired on a mounted border patrolman and on a border-patrol vehicle. The soldiers were detained but were later returned to Mexico along with their weapons. There was no official protest from Washington, even though firing on a U.S. law officer is a felony offense. Drug smugglers often use lonely and difficult trails through the mountains, or go on horseback through more remote parts of the desert. At times they mingle with groups of aliens, or follow them for cover. On occasion they also use aliens as "mules" to carry drugs across the border in payment for their passage. One rancher near Douglas tells of a young illegal who knocked at a neighbor's door one night. The young man had slipped away from his group because its guide had forced them all to carry illicit drugs. Fearing they might all end up killed, he ran to the nearest house begging the rancher to call the police. As the situation near Douglas worsened, some of the ranchers decided to take action on their own. Roger Barnett owns a 22,000-acre ranch outside Douglas. Soon he and his brother Don, like his neighbor Larry Vance and others, began rounding up aliens on their property and holding them until the border patrol arrived to arrest them. Advocacy groups howled in protest, as did the Mexican government. Their lawyers demanded that the ranchers be prosecuted for false arrest, kidnapping, intimidation, criminal assault, violation of civil rights, in short anything lawyers can come up with to advance their clients' interests. Larry Vance retorted that "the only rights that have been violated are those of American citizens whose privacy, property, and nation are invaded from Mexico." ...the Mexican press demonized the ranchers as "racist xenophobic vigilantes" who hunted down innocent Mexican migrants like animals. ...The majority of Americans favor immigration control. This includes half the Latino population. Yet the addiction of American agriculture and some industries to cheap foreign labor creates contradictory interests within the country and an attempt by the government to cover both bases at once. Thus we see the passage of restrictive laws and border shell games to keep the public quiet (no one of either party wants another Proposition 187), while at the same time underfunding enforcement and turning a blind eye so that business can continue as usual.
Between March 1 and April 6, airline agents tried to block Mr. Kennedy from boarding airplanes on five occasions because his name resembled an alias used by a suspected terrorist who had been barred from flying on airlines in the United States, his aides and government officials said. Instead of acknowledging the craggy-faced, silver-haired septuagenarian as the Congressional leader whose face has flashed across the nation's television sets for decades, the airline agents acted as if they had stumbled across a fanatic who might blow up an American airplane. Mr. Kennedy said they refused to give him his ticket.more...
"I don't know what will shake these regions out of complacency other than the fact there will be droughts, pestilence and wars that break out over water rights,"As for me, I'm using soda to wet my toothbrush and I'm flushing the toilet once a week to conserve. Are you doing your part? -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/18/2004 01:06:23 PM TITLE: Bear gets hammered at outdoor frat party ----- BODY: The Dpt. of the Interior's newest campaign spokesbear: Drunky the Bear -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/18/2004 12:36:40 PM TITLE: PETA will eat your children before they harm a wittle bunny! ----- BODY: "Our campaigns are always geared towards children ...and they always will be." - PETA vice president Dan Matthews, Fox News Channel (December 19, 2003)
Your Kids,PETA's Pawns:
How the Animal Movement Hurts Children
(note: link is an online PDF file so be patient)
--------
AUTHOR:
DATE: 8/17/2004 11:56:55 PM
TITLE: "Cuestiones religiosas"
-----
BODY:
En las palabras de un catolico:
"hay un pasaje de la Biblia para cada situación de la vida "
En las palabras de un adicto:
"para cada situación de la vida, hay un capítulo de Los Simpson"
hahaha
¡esto es cierto! ;D
--------
AUTHOR:
DATE: 8/17/2004 11:31:48 PM
TITLE: Sucker-punch Training
-----
BODY:
"How many times have we been told that George W. Bush 'squandered' the good will of the world 'community' after 9/11? The assumption behind all of this seemed to be that anything which cost America the support of allies like France or Germany was, in effect, too costly. In other words, the means -- 'strong alliances' -- are more important than the ends -- winning the war on terror, toppling Saddam, and so forth. Listening to these folks, one gets the sense that America's greatest foreign policy triumph was to get sucker-punched on 9/11 because it resulted in sympathetic newspaper headlines in Paris and Berlin." - Jonah Goldberg
--------
AUTHOR:
DATE: 8/17/2004 08:38:09 PM
TITLE: WWJVF?
-----
BODY:
"If ever there were a bleeding-heart liberal, it was Jesus Christ...I think the carpenter from Galilee was the original Democrat." says James C. Moore.
The Rev. Timothy Tutt, pastor of United Christian Church in Austin, declined to say whom he will support in November. "As I read the Scriptures and as I understand faith, God's side is the group that's feeding the poor, caring about children, making sure that people have enough food to eat — not killing others," said Tutt, who opposes the war in Iraq.Hmmm....think you gave it away there, buddy. Derek Davis' perspective should clear up the confusion regarding Jesus' voting record and noticeable absence from Senate committee meetings... "Interestingly, Jesus never sided with any of these groups but remained above such earthly disputes. This does not mean we should do the same. He was God. We are mere humans." Even more interesting is how Kerry's attendance record closely resembles J.C.'s... is there a connection???
"We have some soldiers who are obviously not overjoyed about being deployed," Clark told Reuters by telephone. "I have had to look them in the eye and say 'hey, you are going."'Rumsfeld better address this situation pronto if he doesn't want to start replacing thousands of extended-tour reservists with Bloods and Crips to maintain adequate firepower. On one hand, I really sympathize with the premise of the reservist's lawsuit that a period of enlistment in the reserves should not be indefinite and to be prevented from returning to one's home after his/her committment has been fulfilled is... unfair. Yes I agree. As for me, I consider it difficult for a civilian to take a firm stance on this issue unless one is familiar with the fine print. Capt. Kincy Clark, who is mentioned in the suit by the plaintiff comments that, "reservists know when signing up that 'stop loss' or extension of service is a possibility." Who knows if the concept is thoroughly explained to enlistees upon signing up? I don't doubt it. However, the plaintiff has apparently served in the Marine Corps and Army for nine years on active duty prior to his enlistment as a reservist in the Army National Guard for the past three years. One must wonder how a 9 year active veteran would fail to remember if he/she was informed of such a possibility of longer retention at the time of enlistment. This lawsuit has the potential to get messy for the DoD pending they are unable to back up the "stop-loss" protocol as being common knowledge to reservist enlistees. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/17/2004 04:17:27 AM TITLE: Blog Sex...spreadin' the love... ----- BODY: It's skankulous I tell you! Scandalous even! My two oh-so-favorite online bloggerettes just so happen to share the same name (plus or minus an "l"). Stand back as these ladies extend their digital claws and tear D.C.'s 21st Century Monica to shreds... Michele's
President Bush came face-to-face with the sacrifice and uncertainty surrounding the war in Iraq during an "ask the president" event this week at Okaloosa-Walton College in Niceville, Fla. "I have a brother who served in Afghanistan and is going back to Iraq," a young woman stood up and told the president, wondering whether his administration has a vision and strategy to complete the mission. "That's a very legitimate question," Bush replied. "And the answer is, we do. . . . I just want you to know that your brother is going on a mission that has historic proportions to it." He then recalled a story that "I hope helps you and helps everybody understand." He said he was sharing dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo and thought it significant their conversation centered on world peace. "Now, the interesting part of the story, I think, as far as your brother is concerned, is that during the course of the conversation I thought it was pretty neat to be talking to a prime minister of a country that we had been at war with. . . . "And that day I was talking to the head of a former enemy, and we're talking about keeping the world more peaceful. There were a lot of people after World War II who did not believe that Japan could be a self-governing, peaceful nation. . . . "But, fortunately, our predecessors in the presidency and the Senate and the Congress . . . never forgot that fantastic American belief that freedom has the capacity to transform lives, transform enemies to allies in peace." Bush concluded by telling the woman: "Someday, an American president is going to be sitting down with an elected leader from Iraq, huddled and talking about how to keep the peace. That's what your brother's mission is."
PATRAS, Greece - In its first Olympic competition since its country was shattered by war, Iraq upset star-studded Portugal 4-2 on Thursday in a gritty, come-from-behind victory that set off cheers and celebrations among some 200 fans. more...Great job, fellas. For more Iraqi football highlights, check out Adrian Wojnarowski's column, Iraq Celebrates 'Victory for Freedom' over at ESPN.com. what's a kyer? a fútbol fan. that's what. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/12/2004 01:46:54 PM TITLE: The Imam Ali Mosque: may it burn to the ground. ----- BODY: Chalk another one up for the religion of peace. The al-Sadr militia is holing up inside the holiest (man that's redundant) mosque of the Shi'ite sect, the Imam Ali shrine, occasionally coming out to exchange fire and throw grenades at Coalition Forces. The looming spectre of nationwide Shi'ite unrest should, the mosque be accidentally harmed, is heavy on the minds of U.S. commanders. The al-Sadr militia is occupying the mosque waiting for just this to occur. Here we find a perfect example of radical Islam's own indifference towards their supposedly sacred places of worship. If it so sacred to their sect, why would any Muslim in their right mind lure the fight there knowing full well they risk damage, desecration and even total destruction of the shrine? Like I mentioned previously, they may be trading up a most holy site for the blood of American (and Coalition) forces that will surely be sought should a Shi'ite uprising occur throughout Iraq. (Iran is probably crossing their fingers right now) ...or... they are simply praying Allah will protect them there. I'm betting on the former. Yet interestingly enough, this scene invokes an air of familiarity to the Palestinian occupation of the Church of Nativity two years ago.
"On April 2, 2002 armed Palestinian Arab terrorists forced their way into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, one of Christianity's most sacred sites, the birthplace of Christ. In the midst of over 200 nuns and priests, they sought refuge from Operation Defensive Shield, the Israel Defense Forces action against suicide bombing activity originating from West Bank locations. For 38 days, until May 10, 2002, the world watched as the gunmen refused to surrender their positions inside the Church. Only Israeli restraint and respect for the Christian shrine prevented the Palestinian desecration from turning into its destruction." (source)It appears only the Coalition and Israeli forces are capable of maintaining a degree of reverance and respect for the holy and sacred sites of other religions. Once again, unsurprisingly, it was Islamic extremists who holed up inside a sacred site, with little regard for the consequences of its desecration. Part of me wants the Coalition Forces to reduce the shrine to ashes and rubble, but fearing for their safety and well-being, I pray there's another way to capture the rebel Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr and disband his group of thugs.
"no evidence of genocide in the Sudanese region of Darfur, although killing was widespread, with little evidence of government efforts to protect civilians."The saga continues...
The conclusion of a fact-finding mission put the EU at odds with the U.S. Congress, which has leveled accusations of genocide at Sudan over a campaign of looting and burning by Arab militiamen against African village farmers.Wait... does this mean the U.S. government has learned its lesson from the tragedy of its indifference 10 years ago? Not really. The only difference this time is that instead of primitive indigenous tribes butchering eachother, Arab militias are involved. General Romeo Dallaire(ret), former commander of the UN mission in Rwanda reflects on the international "intervention" in Rwanda:
"Some 2,000 personnel from several countries, including France, United Kingdom, United States and Italy, had come to evacuate their expatriates and though they were stumbling on corpses, they remained firm in totally ignoring the catastrophe." (source)Pieter Feith, speaking on behalf of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana comments, "We are not in the situation of genocide there...But it is clear there is widespread, silent and slow, killing going on, and village burning on a fairly large scale," (Reuters) Though the United Nations report "more than a million people have been driven from their homes by the conflict and many are threatened by hunger and disease," Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir responded, "Those who say 30,000 and 50,000, we challenge them to bring their names, their families, their tribes, their graves." (Reuters) Sorry, Mr. Bashir, being that your country possesses nothing of vital interest to the Western world, you probably won't be sent any blue helmeted undertakers to gather your dead. Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said, "he was pleased that the Arab League and the African Union had both said there was no ethnic cleansing or genocide in Darfur." (Reuters) I'm sure you are, Ismail, ol' buddy. I'm sure you are.
SEXY LIBERALS OF THE U.S. UNITE in taking back the government from the sexually repressed, right-wing, zealots in control! Everyone knows liberals are hotter than conservatives - we look hotter, we dress hotter, our ideas are hotter, and we are infinitely hotter in the sack. We must use our sexual appeal to our advantage, as one more weapon in our already diverse arsenal. By stripping conservatives out of their clothes, we can also strip them of their power Believe it or not, even the most deeply rooted right-wing ideologue can be manipulated by sex. As we all know, the sex drive is a powerful beast that has the potential to change people. People lie for sex, they cheat for sex, they even kill for sex - and you can be sure that they will change the way they think (and therefore vote) for sex. All you need to be armed with are your sexy progressive values, a razor-sharp wit, your genitalia, and a mindset that doesn't mind taking one for the team.Un-freakin-believ-able. I broke down and prayed that this wasn't true. One more reason to remain a chaste-until-marraige-conservative...(no STDs from dirty hippy Villagers!) Hat Tip: Anthony -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/9/2004 10:38:12 AM TITLE: The hypocrisy of liberal "humanitarians"... ----- BODY: (Note: emphasis mine)
"When I think about the tragedies of AIDS and abortion, I wonder why so many pro-choice "humanitarians" who want to end the AIDS epidemic are fighting so hard to preserve the legality of abortion. Indeed, I have often heard liberals say that those who are not in favor of international AIDS relief are "racists." This accusation is linked to the indisputable fact that those of African descent are disproportionately infected with the disease. But what about the fact that abortions are grossly disproportionately performed on African American babies in the United States? What is the real reason why many of those who are fighting against AIDS because of the fact that it gravely threatens the African population, are fighting just as vigorously to preserve abortion despite the fact that it gravely threatens the African American population? The answer to this obvious contradiction is simple. It is not stupidity or ignorance of the facts. It is basic human selfishness."zing! This article speaks for itself, ladies and gentlemen. Long story short: In the mind of these selective humanitarians, black people deserve to the right to live...in Africa...just not here in the States, right? Heck, why don't dont we just annex Madagascar and turn it into Liberia II? They've only been independent from French rule for about 44 years so the smell of freedom is still fresh in their minds, they won't miss it... Head on down to the Town Hall to read more of Mike Adams' excellent article on the hypocrisy of liberal "humanitarians"... -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/7/2004 09:54:58 PM TITLE: Italian Author Oriana Fallaci Writes About Her Terminal Cancer ----- BODY: "To be good, an interview has to stick itself into, sink into, the heart of the interviewee. ... In this I have always seen an act of violence, of cruelty." Don't know who she is? Head on over to the National Review Online to find out more about this fine lady. Hat tip: The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/7/2004 09:44:42 PM TITLE: Teresa Heinz-Kerry: "Blow it out your ass!" ----- BODY: ...Says Girls Scout ‘Was Asking For It’ Too. Damn. Funny. Check it out! (oh! if only this was true!) BOROWITZ report.com -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/7/2004 09:27:01 PM TITLE: Acknowledging genocide...& having the willpower to address it... ----- BODY: Jay over at Wizbang has written a thoughtful "the-truth-can-often-be-hard-to-swallow" commentary on the reality of the international(er...American) hesitancy to get involved in the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. Head on over to his place and read his piece:"Enabling Genocide" -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/7/2004 01:14:35 PM TITLE: American fakes own decapitation in tape ----- BODY: Proof people on the Left Coast have way too much time on their hands... "It was part of a stunt, but no one noticed it up until now," Vanderford said. "I did this for a couple of reasons. One is to attract attention. But two is to just make a statement on these type of videos and how easily they can be faked." ... "We need to leave this country alone. We need to stop this occupation," he said on the video, adding that he had been offered for exchange with prisoners in Iraq. "Everyone's going to be killed this way." -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/6/2004 07:53:35 PM TITLE: Another Jewish cemetery attacked, 80 - 100 Graves desecrated ----- BODY: Anti-Semitism rearing its ugly head in...New Zealand now of all places. Silent Running has posted a dozen truly sad photos of vandalized and desecrated Jewish gravestones. I hope these monsters are found and punished severely. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/6/2004 02:55:57 PM TITLE: GOTCHA! ----- BODY: Again from those wonderful people at the Federalist Patriot from the August 6, 2004 Friday Digest (No. 04-31) "In other Demo-news, Kerry added a religious outreach arm to his campaign, headed by Rev. Brenda Bartella Peterson. Unfortunately, Peterson did not disclose on her job application that she was a signer on an amicus brief before the Supreme Court in support of Michael Newdow, the atheist suing for the removal of "under God" from the Pledge." zing! -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/6/2004 02:39:31 PM TITLE: "Kerry is AWOL from Iraq..." ----- BODY: The entire contents of this post below the line are cited directly from Mark Alexander's latest article from the Federalist Patriot. Though I realize it is a very long post, it is by far worth repeating in its entirety.
[sic]... tens of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, of Chinese women [are] regularly abused by their husbands or partners, experts say. Wife beating and alarming female suicide rates have been well documented in China's remote, dirt-poor villages. But experts say young, cosmopolitan women [sic] are increasingly falling victim to domestic violence as they bear the brunt of unprecedented social upheaval sweeping the country, spurred by an economy galloping at more than 9 percent a year. In a bizarre twist, many women even say their status in society has been eroded as economic reforms unleashed 20 years ago cast aside the last vestiges of Maoism, under which women were famously told they "hold up half the sky." Wang Simei, said the level of violence in domestic assault cases has increased. According to a recent survey by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as many as one-third of women in 270 million households across the country have been victims of domestic violence. Researchers say surveys often understate the problem because many women are unwilling to "lose face" by admitting, even anonymously, that they have been beaten. In traditional Chinese society, family strife is considered best kept from the public. Whatever the true number, experts agree domestic violence has become more common as China moves toward a market economy, throwing millions of people out of jobs and ushering in a return to the more traditional values that preceded communist rule. "Domestic violence has gotten worse," said Ren Yuan, a professor at Shanghai's Fudan University who studies women's issues. "People are more stressed. We all feel this. China is changing very quickly, too fast for social support services and the law."
Kerry also pledged to “open the doors of the White House to Native Americans.” And in an unusual pledge, he said he would prod the nation’s news executives to increase the number of jobs for Native Americans in the media.- MSNBC Not only was the entire article full of Democrapic touchy-feely political sentiments about the plight of American minorities and how Bush, and Bush alone keeps the black man down, but it had that one tiny snippet about Kerry's promise to provide more opportunity for Native Americans in the media. All 2,475,956 of them. Say...Now there's a minority group the DNC hasn't reached out to in the past. Talk about a swing voter bloc! Where were they hiding in 2000? OH WAIT! ... in small isolated polluted Federal reservations that we've historically crammed them into with limited autonomy. And I always thought they were just private camp grounds. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/4/2004 03:13:02 PM TITLE: August's Douche Bag of The Month Award Recipient ----- BODY: Congratulations Bruce! You've officially been awarded the Whatsakyer? Douche Bag of The Month award for the month of August, 2004! (although it is you may have to share it with someone later in the month...but I'm sure you won't mind.) -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 8/4/2004 12:42:40 PM TITLE: Iraqi saboteurs barred from Memphis City Hall,
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Iraqis visiting on a civil rights tour were barred from city hall after the city council chairman said it was too dangerous to let them in. The seven Iraqi civic and community leaders are in the midst of a three-week American tour, sponsored by the State Department to learn more about the process of government. The trip also includes stops in Washington, Los Angeles and Chicago. The Iraqis were scheduled to meet with a city council member, but Joe Brown, the council chair, said he feared the group was dangerous. "We don't know exactly what's going on. Who knows about the delegation, and has the FBI (news - web sites) been informed?" Brown said. "We must secure and protect all the employees in that building." Elisabeth Silverman, the group's host and head of the Memphis Council for International Visitors, said Brown told her he would "evacuate the building and bring in the bomb squads" if the group entered. "They are in charge of setting up processes in their country. They have to educate themselves about how it works in this country," Silverman said.
" I shudder to think of what will happen when I am proved right and our nation gets off its collective ass and does something about it."After hearing of how once Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge retires/resigns and enters the private sector, perhaps as a security consultant for some large corporation, he will be making boku bucks (literally, in the millions), I figured this guy was playing the same hand. Did I mention he's a former radio play-by-play sports broadcaster for UNLV b-ball, football and baseball? However, to be fair, he did have some rather valid comments and assertions regarding the rise of Leftism in Latin America and its impact on the U.S. The following are excerpts from an interview with Ryan Mauro of http://www.worldthreats.com/ :
WRM: What are the implications of the common trend among US companies of hiring immigrants from countries, some of us see as potential enemies, like China, the former Soviet republics and Russia, etc? SG: The ramifications of moving all of our manufacturing jobs overseas are unknown but, in my view, it cannot be good. If an international war or incident broke out, we wouldn't be able to produce enough goods and services at home to compensate for the loss of overseas resources. In reality, we're all giving up economic freedom so we can buy items at Wal-Mart for less than we can elsewhere. We're selling our souls to save a few bucks. WRM: How do you respond to the allegations that "sightings" of Asians in Mexican military uniforms may just be soldiers of the Indian population usually found in the southern portion of Mexico? SG: I think the allegations that many make of the Asians being Native Mexicans is a smoke screen. If you're going to sit there and tell me that Border Patrol agents and Customs officers don't know the difference between those Mexicans and Asians, I'll say your nuts. These men and women deal with Mexican Indians all the time, they know the difference. These are not sightings by tourists or unqualified people. They are on the border every day and round up illegal immigrants all the time. To say they are mistaken questions their intelligence and is just another way to ignore the possibility that this is really happening. WRM: Are these foreign units possibly helping the Marxist, anti-American rebel movements in Mexico (particularly in the south) such as the Zapatistas, or are being used to assist officials seen as "favorable" by governments seeking to undermine American power? SG: Absolutely. These Marxist elements are on the rise in Mexico AND America. The recent peace protests over the Iraq War was a clear sign that Communism is back strong in the Western Hemisphere and they are making inroads. We are being undermined internally daily and Mexico and its revolutionaries are aiding and abetting.Whoaa now...hold up. I HARDLY think a small, isolated, indigenous insurgency fighting for self-autonomy in the depths of Chiapas, Mexico, are playing a significant part (if any at all) in "aiding and abetting" a communist effort to undermine American national security. As a self-professed Latin Americanist who has studied individuals/groups like Subcomandante Marcos and the EZLN throughout my college career, again, I hardly consider them a threat to the States...masked guerrillas hiding in the highlands with obsolete weapons and all. It would be far too extensive a discussion to explain the rise of socialist/Marxist populism throughout several Latin American nations like Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador here. Its implications to American security are by far more accurately described as a long and steady growing negative socio-political reaction to the economic oppression of neo-liberal free trade market reforms imposed...er....implemented in the early 1980s (and beyond). And on the assertion that "the recent peace protests over the Iraq War was a clear sign that Communism is back strong in the Western Hemisphere"...c'mon..give me a break.
'From Here to Eternity." Tora, Tora, Tora." "In Harm's Way." These are three films made about Pearl Harbor. There have been more than 20 films made about Pearl Harbor, and over 200 films made about World War II. These films inspire patriotism, courage, and nationalism. They tell us about the honor and bravery of the soldiers and the nation that supported them. Two and a half years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the world watched American forces fight on D-Day. Two and a half years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the world is watching Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11." Moore's film is the first major motion picture about Sept. 11, 2001. This bears repeating. When future generations look back on the Sept. 11 massacre, their first impression, through the medium of film, will be a work in which the president and the government are blamed for the attacks, and the soldiers who are protecting this country are defamed. Instead of a film version of Lisa Beamer's book, "Let's Roll," or Richard Picciotto's "Last Man Down," we are presented with this fallacy. How could this happen? It would be a colossal insult to insinuate that Franklin D. Roosevelt or the U.S. government were in any way responsible for the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Can you imagine the indignation of the men and women who lived during that period? "Fahrenheit 9/11" is indicative of a nation that has become too apathetic, ignorant or deceived to face the enemy at the gate. America, where is your fury? On Sept. 11, 2001, I stood across the Hudson River, watching the Twin Towers burn, knowing that if the plane had struck at 9:46 a.m. instead of 8:46 a.m., I would be dead. As a survivor and witness to the attack on the World Trade Center, I am more than insulted by this film. I am outraged. This film is based on conjecture, hearsay and propaganda. At a time when this country desperately needs to rally in support of our brave soldiers and our strong leaders, Moore is content to spread discord and divisiveness. The base of his argument is that the Bush administration had strong ties with the bin Laden family. However, sound facts are conspicuously absent from this "documentary." The 9/11 commission did not indict President Bush. According to the report, the president's actions before, during and after the attacks are fully justified, including the military action in Iraq. The commission did not find a direct link between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A similar commission in the 1940s would not have found a direct link between Hitler's Germany and the attack on Pearl Harbor. In both instances, the threat was imminent; the president and the military acted decisively. Could we have been more prepared for a terrorist attack on Sept. 10, 2001? Certainly. Could we have been more prepared for an attack on Dec. 6, 1941? Most definitely. In the weeks and months following Pearl Harbor, there were reports and criticisms that the government and military should have been more prepared. The difference is that the people of the nation did not waste a lot of time pointing fingers at each other. Rather, they unified and engaged the enemy head-on. I guess that is why we call them "The Greatest Generation." How will future generations refer to us? So, how do we explain Moore's film to future generations? I wonder. More than that, I wonder how I would explain this film to Nancy D., Jerome N. or Heather H. I am sure you don't know their names, but their faces haunt me day and night. How would I explain to them that a film was made accusing the president and vilifying the soldiers, the same president and soldiers who are attempting to avenge their murders and protect other citizens. Moore has not only insulted the nation, he has insulted the victims of the terrorist attacks. During his acceptance speech at the Oscars, Moore said, "Shame on you, Mr. Bush." Well, I say, "Shame on you, Michael Moore." Shame on everyone who supports this travesty of a film. Shame on a society that allows this sham of a film. You have weakened the nation.Michael Niewodowski was a chef at the Windows on the World restaurant at the World Trade Center until Sept. 11, 2001. He lives in Bradenton. His e-mail address is niewodowski123@yahoo.com. Source: Free Republic.com URL: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1163147/posts -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 7/30/2004 03:56:52 PM TITLE: Kerry Will Abandon War on Terrorism ----- BODY: "The Democratic Party's presidential front-runner, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), has pledged that if elected he will abandon the president's war on terror, begin a dialogue with terrorist regimes and apologize for three-and-one-half years of mistakes by the Bush administration." - Insight Mag News Un.freak.in.belie.ve.ab.le. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 7/30/2004 12:09:55 PM TITLE: Howie to the rescue! ----- BODY: Howie read my mind throughout the entire speech. 'Cept he definitely knows more dirty factoids than anyone. "...in case you didn't watch Liveshot's speech, let me provide you with the lines themselves, and then, in italics, what he really meant.
``People are working weekends; they're working two jobs, three jobs, and they're still not getting ahead.'' It's hard to get ahead when gigolos keep cutting in line in front of you. ``And what can I say about Teresa?'' Three words will suffice: one billion dollars. ``She's down to earth, nurturing, courageous, wise and smart.'' Did I mention her five mansions worth $50 million, and her $35 million Gulfstream V? `Opportunity for all - so that every child, every parent, every worker has an equal shot at living up to their God-given potential.'' You too can marry two heiresses. It's the American dream. ``My fellow citizens, elections are about choices.'' Which is why I try to be on both sides of every issue. You choose which side you're on, I'm there for you. ``I rode my bike into Soviet East Berlin.'' It was a Schwinn - I'd never even heard of an $8,000 Serotta back then. ``As president, I will ask hard questions.'' Sommelier, which of these two imported $125 Merlots [would] you recommend? ``So tonight we say: Help is on the way.'' I'm sending my butler."- Howie Carr I couldn't have said it better. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 7/30/2004 11:43:17 AM TITLE: Is Saudi Arabia running out of oil? ----- BODY: The Saudis claim to have plenty of reserves, but a top energy expert disputes that. Without any independent data, the world is dangerously in the dark, he says. By Jon D. Markman Check it out. Should be nothing new to energy buffs, heck, I learned this fashizzle in a intro level geology course on earth resources. But for those of you who think nothing of filling up your pimped out Ford Excursion to drive to your job 3 miles down the road at the mall, then this is the article for you. Make SURE to check out the corporate website of Matthew Simmons, a Houston energy analyst and banker at Simmons & Co. International. Wanna pull a lefty and cry "corporate propagandist whore"? Think again. This guy is a
"no anti-establishment crank. In addition to his role as chief executive of a major energy-focused investment bank, which counts Halliburton and the World Bank among its clients, he’s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was an advisor to President Bush’s election campaign and Vice President Dick Cheney’s infamous energy task force" (Markman).Give it a whirl. You'll find no spin there. ::drum roll:: This is serious analysis here, kids. Kinda makes you wonder where the heck outfits like Kerr-McGee are finding their black gold, right? I mean, because they have a suuuuper environmental record. Enjoy. :P -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 7/29/2004 11:30:53 PM TITLE: I knew she was an alien... ----- BODY: Tom over at the Nap Room stumbled upon something horrific.... Vanessa Kerry's yearbook photo. Scroll down to the July 29th post...(you can't miss it). -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 7/29/2004 10:24:53 PM TITLE: Ron Reagan Jr. is a douche bag. Why? ----- BODY: Because he is. Alright, well that's not exactly fair. The only thing I can say about this guy is he as a SERIOUS axe to grind (not to mention a wicked bad case of "daddy didn't bounce me enough on his knee" syndrome). Just a few point by point comments based on some excerpts from his speech to the DNC the other night. The complete speech in its entirety can be found here at Newsday.
A few of you may be surprised to see someone with my last name showing up to speak at a Democratic convention. Let me assure you, I am not here to make a political speech, and the topic at hand should not must not have anything to do with partisanship.No RJ, actually I'm not surprised you were part of the lineup for the Democrapic Reinvention tour. You've actively opposed and stood against every single issue, value, and objective of your father's party, the GOP. Nah, nothing partisan about taking a firm stance on a controversial medical procedure that Bush so happens to have the counter-position, just to spite him. You truly cared for and respected your father wholeheartedly growing up, throughout his bout with Alzheimer's, till his dying day. You are the ideal spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. (insert sarcasm here)
How'd you like to have your own personal biological repair kit standing by at the hospital? Sound like magic? Welcome to the future of medicine. ... By the way, no fetal tissue is involved in this process. No fetuses are created, none destroyed. This all happens in the laboratory at the cellular level.Oh, thanks for clearing the fog on this issue...I thought embryonic stem cell research involved human embryos...thanks for scientifically establishing that it only occurs on the "cellular level."
Now, there are those who would stand in the way of this remarkable future, who would deny the federal funding so crucial to basic research. They argue that interfering with the development of even the earliest stage embryo, even one that will never he implanted in a womb and will never develop into an actual fetus, is tantamount to murder. A few of these folks, needless to say, are just grinding a political axe and they should he ashamed of themselves. But many are well-meaning and sincere. Their belief is just that, an article of faith, and they are entitled to it. But it does not follow that the theology of a few should be allowed to forestall the health and well-being of the many. And how can we affirm life if we abandon those whose own lives are so desperately at risk?::shakes head:: I'm not even going to touch that. Ronny boy, you've officially won the whatsakyer Douche of the Month Award™. Congrats. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 7/29/2004 08:42:55 PM TITLE: Howie Carr: Truth Seeker ----- BODY: Do you know who I am? If you want the dirt on "the Real Deal" John Kerry, just check out anything you can Google by Boston journalist (Boston Herald) and radio talk-show host Howie Carr. This award-winning writer/host has been following Kerry's shananigans for decades. Howie Carr's radio show can be heard weekday afternoons on WRKO-AM 680, WHYN-AM 560, WGAN-AM 560, WEIM-AM 1280 and WXTK-FM 95.1. Too lazy to search for him? Here is a link to his online columns at the Boston Herald.
It was an impossible mission: Fly a helicopter 2,000 miles roundtrip in a nor'easter to save the crew of a sunken freighter. A mission of this magnitude had never been attempted before. Could a few brave men from the air national guard pull it off? BY COLONEL EDWARD L. FLEMINGAlright, this guy Colonel Fleming went ridiculously above and beyond the call of duty to rescue a drowning Ukrainian freight sailor from the depths of the sea. While tredding water and watching his fellow crew being gouged by sharks, the lone sailor was carefully lifted from the sea by the Air National Guard. This was truly a historic undertaking never before attempted. And why do we never hear of such gallant deeds in the daily media? It sure isn't because positive military coverage is the norm... To read more of this story, make sure to pick up a copy of the June issue of Men's Journal. If you want the real deal, order a copy of Fleming's Heart of the Storm : My Adventures as a Helicopter Rescue Pilot and Commander online at Amazon.com or pick up one at your local Borders or B&N. Man, if that wasn't a sales pitch, I don't know what is...I think that guy should hook a brotha up with some royalties, no? -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 7/29/2004 11:41:33 AM TITLE: I couldn't do it. ----- BODY: That's right folks. I wimped out and couldn't stick it out thru the whole gosh darn thing. I, the thing they call a "kyer", wussed out before the end of Johnny Boy Edwards' speech. That sweet, young, litigious, ambulance-chasing face did me in before the he could start wooing me with the grand vision of reuniting his and Kerry's multimillionaire America with the rest of us. Perhaps it was the Southern twang or the 51-year-old boyish charm. Or maybe it was the recanting of the difficult days his family endured in a coal-mining town. Either way, somewhere between Family Guy and Leno, I zogged out at the wuh-min's apartment until 3am. So y'all gonna have to deal with waiting for my 2nd rate coverage about the main event of the Democrapic Reinvention tour 'till later. -------- AUTHOR: DATE: 7/28/2004 09:59:12 PM TITLE: Envirologic... ----- BODY: JFKerry: "AS PRESIDENT, I WILL MAKE SURE AMERICA IS NO LONGER DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN OIL SOURCES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST!" thequietvoiceofreason: "Ok... Senator Kerry...then where will you find energy domestically? The Artic National Wildlife Reserve?" JFKerry: "No. Absolutely not. ANWR will be protected at all costs. I have a long and dedicated commitment to defending our beautiful wildlife reserves and natural resources...I am a "True Environmental Hero*"..."The Senate's Most Outspoken Supporter of the Environment"...and did I mention I've received the endorsement of the Sierra Club, the Friends of the Earth Action, and the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund?" thequietvoiceofreason: So you're in favor of getting the U.S. on board the eco-friendly Kyoto train, right? JFKerry: Yes.
--------
AUTHOR:
DATE: 7/26/2004 07:18:43 PM
TITLE: Testing...
-----
BODY:
en construcción, mis amigos...
